Charlotte, N.C – With a rough start to the matchup, Syracuse was outscored by 5 goals within the first 5 minutes of the first quarter.
This is the second time Syracuse has played Duke this year, the last bout ended with a huge win for Syracuse as they won 10-4. However, in the ACC Semifinals, Syracuse struggled during the first quarter.
That dry spell didn’t last long for Syracuse as they began to climb back later in the first quarter, with two unanswered goals. Jake Stevens made both of those shots to get the Orange back on track.
At the start of the second quarter the tide began to tip in favor of Syracuse as they scored an additional two more unanswered goals. One goal from Joey Spallina and the other from Mason Kohn.
Stevens was able to score is third goal shortly after, getting another hat trick on the season and pulling the Orange closer with the score sitting at 5-9 with 8:30 seconds left in the second quarter.
With a barrage of goals from Syracuse, the team still had their work cut out for them as Duke continued to add to their lead. Syracuse trailed the entire game and struggled to stop Duke’s attacks all night.
Duke continued the third quarter with 6 straight goals, making the score 17-7. Syracuse began to climb back towards the end of this matchup, but it proved to be too little too late. Duke left Charlotte with a revenge victory against Syracuse, the final score of the game was 18-13.
Syracuse head coach Gary Gait felt that Duke was much more prepared in their second matchup against the Orange.
“It was a tough game against a motivated Duke team, they played outstanding. From the opening whistle they were ready to prove they weren’t the same team we played earlier in the season.”
Despite the loss, Syracuse has earned the number 4 and will face Towson University on Sunday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m.