A few bad Orange turnovers hand the victory to the Blue Devils. This was Duke’s first victory over Syracuse since 1978.
WHAT HAPPENED: The Orange came out of the locker room with something to prove today. The Orange haven’t lost consecutive games since 2007. A quick goal from Hakeem Lecky gave Syracuse some momentum that would give the team a 3-1 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, things evened out a bit as Duke and Syracuse went back and forth until Duke took a 7-6 lead into halftime. Each team traded blows but Duke took the upper hand after a few Orange turnovers. The Blue Devils continued to score in the third quarter. A 4-0 scoring run put Duke up 9-6. The Orange answered with a 3-0 scoring run of its own to tie the game. It continued to go back and forth until a series of bad turnovers resulted in Duke putting the game away, winning 12-10.
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WHAT IT MEANS: This was a huge game for the Orange. It was the opportunity for a turning point. Syracuse could have either pushed the season in a positive direction, or continued in its downward slope. The latter turned out to be the case. The Orange lost consecutive games for the first time since the 2007 season, when Syracuse didn’t make the NCAA tournament. The team looked great early on and then came back from being down 3 in the third quarter. But the Orange just can’t seem to put together 60 quality minutes of lacrosse. If this play continues, there is a good chance this team finishes with a sub-.500 record.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse returns home to host Princeton on Saturday, April 7 at 4 p.m. TV: TWCS.