Duke took down Syracuse 18-13 in the ACC semifinals on Friday night, setting up a battle with No. 1 Notre Dame on Sunday.
The Blue Devils jumped out to an immediate lead over the Orange with five goals in the first five minutes. Senior attacker Brennan O’Neill assisted two of the first three goals, one to Dyson Williams and one to Josh Zawada, and junior midfielder Andrew McAdorey scored two unassisted goals in the early going.
McAdorey ended with five goals, the most of any player on either team. He tacked on another with five minutes left to play in the first period, this time on an assist from Zawada, and he assisted Grant Mitchell on Duke’s last goal of the period in the closing seconds.
After 15 minutes of play, the Blue Devils led 9-2. The Orange tacked on three quick goals to start the second, but McAdorey and O’Neill each added a goal to keep Syracuse at arm’s length.
Duke took an 11-6 lead into halftime, and after an early Syracuse goal to open the second half, the Blue Devils promptly ended the game. Five unanswered goals, including two from O’Neill (who ended the game with four) and two from Williams, broke the game wide open. When the curtain closed on the third period, the Blue Devils led 16-7 with 15 minutes between them and the championship match.
Zawada added a goal in the opening 90 seconds of the fourth period to stretch the lead to 10, and the Blue Devils coasted from there. The Orange made a furious rally, including two goals in the final minute, but they could only pull within five.
SEE YA SUNDAY 😈😈😈
To @theACC 'ship we go!#GoDuke pic.twitter.com/0fujLUKFyE
— Duke Men's Lacrosse (@DukeMLAX) May 4, 2024
The Blue Devils advanced to the ACC title game with the victory, where the top-ranked Fighting Irish await with the conference championship on the line.