After suffering back-to-back losses for the first time in two years No. 15 Syracuse (3-3, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) travels to Durham, North Carolina, to take on No. 3 Duke (8-1, 0-0) and one of the nation’s top offenses. Duke entered this season ranked first in the nation and has lived up to what many believed was true in the preseason. This is one of the nation’s premier teams and is balanced across the board. Here’s what to know about the Blue Devils ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 11-6

Last time they played: Last season’s matchup marked the coming out party for SU midfielder Jamie Trimboli, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime to stun Duke in the Carrier Dome. The matchup went back and forth, with both sides gaining leads. The Blue Devils trailed 9-7 before going on a four-goal run in the fourth quarter to go up 11-9 with six minutes left. It looked as if Duke would pull out the win. But SU battled back, eventually forcing overtime and winning its fourth straight contest.

The Duke Report: The Blue Devils boast one of the nation’s top offenses. Duke ranks third in the country in goals per game, averaging 13.9 per contest. That offensive firepower is led by star senior Justin Guterding, who ranks first in the country in points with 56. Guterding has scored at least six points in six different games this year, with a season-high 10 in the team’s opener against Air Force. Last year against the Orange, Guterding recorded four points in Duke’s loss.

But what really makes the Duke offense powerful is its balance. Four different Blue Devils players have at least 20 points this season, whereas no one does on the Syracuse roster. Against current-No. 6 Loyola, Guterding managed just two points, finishing as Duke’s fourth-leading scorer. But both Brad Smith and Peter Conley stepped up to finish with six points apiece to lead Duke to an impressive 13-9 win over the nation’s seventh-best defense.

In addition to this explosive offense, Duke locks down its opponents defensively. The Blue Devils boast the second-best scoring defense in the NCAA, giving up just 7.1 goals per game. Only two teams have scored double-digit goals on Duke this season, and the Blue Devils have limited three of their opponents to less than five goals. The standout defensively for Duke is goalie Danny Fowler, who ranks fifth in the country in save percentage — 59 percent — among goalies with at least 20 shots saved.

How Syracuse beats Duke: Duke’s lone weakness comes at the faceoff X, where the team wins just 43.6 percent of its opportunities, ranking outside the top 5o in the nation. Syracuse doesn’t rank much higher, coming in at 32nd with a win percentage of 50 percent. But that number is improving. After winning just eight faceoffs against Albany and Army, faceoff specialist Danny Varello has notched 40 faceoff wins in his last three games. One thing that Syracuse has struggled with this season is giving up big runs, and much of that has been attributed to the Orange’s inability to control possession, Syracuse head coach John Desko said. Duke dominates the Orange in nearly every statistical category, but if Varello can succeed at the faceoff X and control possession, those stats may go out the window.

Numbers to know: 

6 — Justin Guterding needs just six more points to become the 14th player in NCAA history to collect 300 career points. Guterding averages 6.2 points per game.

67 — Five of the six teams SU has played this season have been ranked. In those five games, the Orange has given up 13.6 goals per game. That would rank the team 67th in the nation out of 69 Division I teams.

Player to watch: Justin Guterding, attack, No. 14

There isn’t anything that Guterding doesn’t do well offensively. He is a gifted goal scorer and facilitates the offense exceptionally, leading Duke to be one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation. This Saturday, Guterding has the opportunity to join the 300-point club, something only one other active player has done. His name is Connor Fields.

Published on March 24, 2018 at 10:14 am

Contact Matt: mdliberm@syr.edu