• Opening faceoff Sunday is set for 12 p.m. Fan parking is in the Grounds Lot off of Cameron Blvd., with gates opening at 10 a.m. The game will be streamed on ACCNX via the ESPN app.

The Opening Faceoff

• Duke continues its five-game homestand to start the season Sunday, hosting Vermont at 12 p.m. The Blue Devils are 2-0 and moved up to No. 7 in the USILA poll and to 9th by Inside Lacrosse.
• Max Sloat paces all scorers with seven goals and an assist for eight points. Graduate transfer Thomas Mencke is the top feeder with a goal and six assists, while freshman Michael Ortlieb has five goals and two assists. Redshirt freshman Kyle Colsey owns three goals and three assists as Duke is averaging 55.5 shots per game.
• The Blue Devils’ stalwart defense is proving why it’s considered one of the best in the country, holding teams to 7.5 goals and to just 28 shots per game. Henry Bard, Charlie Johnson and Will Pedicano each have three caused turnovers apiece with Johnson leading the charge off the ground with seven ground balls. In goal, Patrick Jameison has a 5.36 goals against average and a .591 save percentage.
• Vermont is 1-0 following its season-opening win at Queens Friday. The Catamounts were picked to finish third in the America East with Ryker Demarest, Walter Zhao, Jack Combs garnering preseason all-conference honors. Vermont returns its top four scorers from a season ago and the defensive contributions of Zhao and Combs.
• Vermont and Duke meet for the fourth time. The Blue Devils are 3-0 against the Catamounts with an average margin of victory of nine goals.

By the Numbers
33 – Percent of Duke’s points this season that have come from freshmen
52 – Career caused turnovers for Aidan Maguire, 15 shy of moving into the top five in Duke history
58 – Combined caused turnovers for Aidan Maguire and Johnson last season, the most by a defensive duo in Duke single-season history
156 – Saves needed by Patrick Jameison to move into the top five in Duke career history
6 – Assists this season for graduate student transfer Thomas Mencke – matching his total in 42 games at Virginia
1-3 – Record against Duke for Vermont head coach Chris Feifs in his four appearances against the Blue Devils as a player at Maryland
486 – Career wins for John Danowski – 14 away from becoming the first Division I men’s lacrosse coach in NCAA history to reach 500
17 – Blue Devils who made their debuts in a Duke uniform versus Bellarmine, including nine true freshmen
.694 – Faceoff win percentage for junior Cal Girard – the best in the ACC and seventh nationally
25 – Faceoff wins by Girard after two games, 17 fewer than he had last season
5.36 – Patrick Jameison’s goals against average after two games
 
Series History

• Duke and Vermont meet for the fourth time with the Blue Devils winning all three previous matchups.
• The Blue Devils and Vermont last played in 2022 – a 15-7 win in Durham.

 
Ortlieb Joins Elite Company

• With three goals in his debut against Bellarmine, Michael Ortlieb joined an elite group of Duke attackmen. Ortlieb is the fifth Blue Devil since 2004 to record at least three goals in his first game as a true freshman.
• The most recent player to do so was Brennan O’Neill in 2021 against No. 7 Denver.
• Ortlieb added two goals and two assists against Utah, giving him seven points in his first two games – the most by a Duke rookie since Justin Guterding had 10 in 2015.

Cal Girard Shining at the Dot

• After taking the fewest faceoffs of the specialists a year ago, Cal Girard has gotten the most looks at the dot with 36 attempts through two games. The 11 wins against Utah marked the third time Girard posted double-digit wins in his 30 games. Overall this season, Girard has won 25-of-36 restarts for a 61-percent win rate. Girard has picked up the ground ball on 17 of the wins.
• He tied his career high with 14 wins against Utah and picked up a career-high 10 ground balls versus the Utes. With 36 faceoff attempts, Girard is already at 40 percent of his total appearances at the dot last season. His 25 wins are just 17 fewer than his 42 a year ago.

 
Lockdown Defense

• Defensively, Duke was excellent last season, holding opponents to 10-minute scoreless stretches 23 times, including a season-long 31:00 against North Carolina in the ACC Championship semifinal.
• Duke has held both of its opponents this season to scoring droughts of at least 15 minutes, including keeping Bellarmine off the board for 25:53 and to just three goals in the first 45 minutes.
• The Blue Devils return each of their top three caused turnover artists and five of the top seven. Duke held 11 opponents to single digits a year ago, finishing the year ranked 17th nationally and third in the ACC in scoring defense.

 
Up Next

• Duke is back in action next Saturday, Feb. 21 versus Jacksonville at noon.

 
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men’s lacrosse, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “DukeMLAX”.
 
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