Duke capped off its three games in eight days set Sunday with a 17-6 victory at Jacksonville. Two of the three wins were over top 20 opponents – No. 16 Richmond and No. 18 High Point – and two on the road. The Blue Devils pushed their season record to 8-0, the best start to a season since the 2008 team went unbeaten in its first eight games. The 2005 squad holds the record for most wins in a row to start a season at 11.
In the three games, Duke was incredibly efficient on offense. The Blue Devils averaged an impressive 19 goals per game and shot .429. The attack trio of Brennan O'Neill, Joe Robertson and Michael Sowers combined for 40 of the team's 90 points, including 27 of 57 goals. O'Neill paced the Blue Devils in goal scoring with 12, while Sowers had 17 points (8g, 9a). Robertson totaled seven goals and four assists. Off the bench, JP Basile registered three goals and three assists in two outings.
Defensively, the Blue Devils held foes to 6.67 goals per game and held opponents to .200 shooting. Duke held each of its three opponents without a goal for at least 20 minutes – 22:05 at Richmond, 25:06 versus High Point and 26:01 at Jacksonville. Goaltender Mike Adler sports a 5.70 goals against average and a .676 save percentage in that span.
Brennan O'Neill Getting Comfortable
O'Neill is definitely starting to find a comfort level in the Duke offensive system. In the past three games, the Bay Shore, N.Y., native has 12 goals on 22 shots for a four goals per game average and .545 shooting percentage. He had 10 tallies on 34 shots in the first five outings of the year for a two goals per game average and .294 shot percentage.
O'Neill currently ranks sixth in the ACC, second among freshmen, and is tied for 33rd nationally with 2.75 goals per game. His 22 goals are the most by any freshman this season, while his average is fourth among rookies.
The ACC Gauntlet Begins
After going 8-0 in non-conference games, the Blue Devils will be put to the test against the best of the best over the next six weeks as Duke commences ACC play Thursday, March 25 against Syracuse. All five ACC programs are currently ranked in the top nine with Duke coming in at No. 1 and 2, respectively. Syracuse is fifth, Notre Dame eighth and Virginia ninth.
If the national rankings aren't enough proof of the talent, all one has to do is take a look at the NCAA statistical rankings. The ACC owns four of the nation's top 10 scoring offenses and two of the top 10 scoring defenses – of which Duke and Notre Dame being the two programs represented in both.
All five ACC programs are in the top 13 in scoring offense and points per game and three currently have unblemished records – Duke, North Carolina and Notre Dame. Individually, the conference has five of the nation's top 16 faceoff specialists, all of whom average over 60 percent at the X.
Noting Duke's Defense
While Duke's offense has put up incredible numbers this season, the Blue Devils' defense is quietly going about its business in becoming one of the country's top units. Duke sports the nation's ninth-ranked scoring defense with an 8.00 goals against average on the year and is holding opponents to .241 shooting percentage (64-266). The Blue Devils have not allowed more than eight goals in the past six games and Adler 6.83 goals against average and a .609 save percentage to rank seventh and 12th nationally, respectively.
In seven of the eight games this season, the Blue Devils have held their opponents without a goal for at least 15 minutes. The longest was a 31:48 stretch against Robert Morris as Duke went on an 8-0 run. Most recently, the Blue Devils used a 14-0 run over 20:56 to break open a 2-2 score versus High Point. At Jacksonville Sunday, Duke kept Jacksonville off the scoreboard for 26:01, an 11-0 run to stretch the lead from 5-2 to 16-2.
Numbers to Watch For
The numbers watch continued this past Sunday at Jacksonville as a host of Blue Devils approach records or milestones. Sowers pulled six assists closer to the NCAA record as he upped his total to 207, leaving him 25 shy of setting the mark. In addition, he is 55 away from the NCAA career points record and eight from moving into the top five.
Senior Nakeie Montgomery is nine points away from joining the 100-point club. He needs nine more points to become the 48th Blue Devil to reach the mark and will be among three currently on the team. Speaking of 100, two-year team captain Terry Lindsay is three ground balls away from 100 for his career.
Defenseman JT Giles-Harris has 79 career caused turnovers, needing 10 more to break Luke Duprey's Duke record of 88.
Second Quarter Squeeze
Duke's defense has put the clamps on opponents in the second quarter this season. The Blue Devils have allowed just nine goals overall in the second period and are giving up an average of just 6.63 shots in the quarter.
Duke has shut out three of its foes in the second stanza and forced a total of 43 turnovers in eight games. In the second quarters of the past two games, the Blue Devils have outscored their foes, 18-2, and outshot them, 27-15.
How to Watch the Blue Devils Moving Forward
All six of Duke's regular season games will be broadcast nationally on either ACC Network or ESPNU. Five of the six ACC contests will be televised by ACC Network with the sixth – an April 10 matchup at Notre Dame – will be on ESPNU. Duke plays four Thursday night games, the Saturday match in South Bend and cap the slate at North Carolina May 2.
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March 16, 2021 at 05:38AM
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Recapping 8 Days; Let the ACC Games Begin - Duke University - GoDuke.com
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