Duke Virginia is one of the best games in the sport. Call me biased because I am.
I was in the stands for the 2010 semifinal thriller. Klockner is one of the all time places to play. I can remember Manley stepping down from 15 in 2012, while we watched at a friends for a 5pm Friday game.
I was fortunate to play 4x in this rivalry!
Here's a couple things I'll be looking at Friday night:
Helm is 54% on the year and having a strong season as a grad transfer. He replaced Mike Adler, who in this game last year had 20 saves and only 8 GA!
Nunes is a strong keeper looking to return in his second year to come back from a 15 GA 8 save 2022 game
The Duke defense is in for another battle against a home crowd. Last year they held Shellenberger and Cormier to 0-12 shooting. That won't be the case 2 years in a row. All the pieces on the Duke D are back, as well as the UVA offense and Dickson is on another level College lacrosse is in for a treat!
I can't wait to see Ron Caputo and Sean Kirwan square off. When Coach Cap coached the Duke offense in my day, the 2-2-2 that UVA sports was one of our consistent sets. Sean is fantastic with matchups and schemes, and both guys are some of the sharpest minds in the game!
Another great thread on a key UVA defense principle:
I sprinted home from St. Paul's Girls Varsity practice to catch 3+ quarters of action. What a game! I knew Virginia would make a big run after Duke went up 7-3. No lead is safe and both teams exchanged blows.
Let's take a look at some of our matchups to watch, and then analyze what else emerged!
Garrett Leadmon went off for 3 goals and Caputo stuck a right handed leaner down the alley. Quint was quoted on the broadcast that Leadmon is making his case for a 1st round PLL draft pick! I'm excited to see Garrett explode. He's always had all the tools, and it's awesome to see someone put it all together towards the end of their college career.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Aiden Danenza, with a pair of goals, and a beauty of an inside roll with confidence!
Leadmon Midfield Impact:
As I mention below, I thought the Duke rope unit stepped up big. McConvey was held to 1-7 shooting, but Conners did deal 3 assists. These were battles. No easy goals came about. Cormier stepped into a dodging role with 3 goals off the dodge as Duke decided to short stick him. You have to be pleased to see that if you are Coach Tiffany & Kirwan.
Both players were big time in transition. Zinn sparked a big UVA juice goal with a split and lefty feed, and I thought Carpenter was a vacuum on groundballs. Additionally, I thought Frisoli and Maguire for Duke stepped up big on the rope unit. Maguire is a name you'll hear for years to come.
Lasalla edged out Naso in the win column, but I do think Duke did a nice job neutralizing any subbing offense. No easy goals came UVA's way and that's certainly something they hit in the gameplay.
Helm was fantastic. He made a KILLER save on McConvey coming out of a crucial Virginia timeout. He finished at 50%, but some big time stops certainly caught the eye. Nunes was 14 saves and 16 GA, so he certainly stepped up to keep this matchup even.
Xander Dickson had 4 goals, and Cormier put in 6 with a few crazy pipes. I think the show was stolen by O'Neill (6 goals, 3 assists) and Kenny Brower (holding Shellenberger to 1 shot (not goal, 1 shot) and 3 assists (all on EMO).
It's going to be exciting to see these guys compete again in Koskinen on April 15th and hopefully a better weather day! No rest for the weary, as Duke squares off vs Notre Dame this week and Virginia has UNC. 2 historic battles over the last decade.
I'm eager for Duke Notre Dame. Brower vs. Kavanagh? Kavanagh just set the ND all time assist record.
I can't wait to see the 2023 season continue to unfold.
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