The Opening Faceoff
- Duke returns home for a top-15 matchup against No. 15 Denver Sunday afternoon. It will be the Blue Devils’ toughest test so far this season and their second top-20 opponent.
- The Blue Devils are 7-0 and No. 6 in the USILA poll and sixth in USA Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse rankings. Denver is 4-3 overall and ranked 14th in all three polls. The Pioneers are coming off a narrow loss to No. 8 Syracuse, 13-12, Monday.
- Junior Benn Johnston paces the offense with 26 goals and four assists for 30 points. Kyle Colsey is right behind him with 20 goals and seven assists for 27 points, while the trio of Brady Scioletti, Max Sloat and Liam Kershis pace the midfield with 19, 19 and 16, respectively. Mencke has a team-high 11 assists and Michael Ortlieb rounds out the attack trio with 12 goals and eight assists for 20 points.
- The Blue Devils’ stalwart defense is proving why it’s considered one of the best in the country, holding teams to 6.14 goals and to just 29.4 shots per game. Charlie Johnson (12), Henry Bard (11), Will Pedicano (9) and Aidan Maguire (7) and have combined for 39 caused turnovers and 58 ground balls. Johnson and Bard lead the charge off the ground with 16 and 14 ground balls, respectively. In goal, Patrick Jameison has a 6.15 goals against average and a .591 save percentage.
- Duke meets Providence for the fifth time. The Blue Devils are 4-0 all-time with the average margin of victory sitting at 12 goals per game.
By the Numbers
35 – Percent of Duke’s points this season that have come from rookies
6 – Duke’s rank in the latest edition of the 2026 RPI – third among ACC teams
6 – Points needed for junior Benn Johnston to reach the 100-point benchmark
20 – Goals in seven games for Kyle Colsey – the most of any rookie in the ACC
48 – Goals allowed by Duke through seven games, marking the fewest in the first seven games of a season since 2008
51 – Goals allowed by Denver after seven games – the fourth fewest in the nation behind Duke, Harvard and Notre Dame
514 – Days between Kyle Colsey’s injury sufferred in 2024 and stepping onto the field again for a game
18.42 – Goals per game for the Blue Devils, leading the nation
6.15 – Patrick Jameison’s goals against average, the lowest of any Division I goalie this season
7.43 – Saves per game for Jameison, 65th nationally and signifying the stalwart defensive effort in front of the junior goalie
.688 – Duke’s opponent clear percentage this season, ranking first nationally
37 – Percent increase in faceoff success for junior Cal Girard this season, going from 47 percent in 2025 to 64 percent in 2026
About Denver
- Denver comes to Durham sporting a 4-3 overall record and ranked 14th in the latest polls. The Pioneers are coming off a hard-fought 13-12 home loss to No. 8 Syracuse Monday evening. Denver owns wins over Cleveland State, Air Force, Utah and Michigan, while the losses have come to No. 4 Cornell, No. 8 Ohio State and the Orange.
- The Pioneers feature one of the nation’s best defenses, allowing just 7.29 goals per game and holding opponents to 18 percent shooting for the year. Russell Overly leads the way with nine caused turnovers and 25 ground balls in his seven starts. Brody Davis has six takeaways. Denver’s man-down defense sports an 82 percent success rate to rank 11th nationally. Luke Smeader is the man at the dot for the Pioneers, winning 58-of-124 (.468). In goal, Grayson Manning is excellent with a 7.80 goals against average and a nation’s best .640 save percentage.
- Offensively, Denver is averaging just 11 goals per game after notching double-digit goals in only four of the seven games. Cody Malawsky paces the offense with 15 goals and five assists for 20 points. Marek Tzagournis also has 20 points from 11 goals and nine assists. The Pioneers are shooting 32 percent on the season.
Home Sweet Home
- Under head coach John Danowski, Duke is 161-28 in games in Durham. Duke has gone unbeaten at home four times since 2007.
Against Ranked Opponents
- Under John Danowski, Duke is 144-77 (.652) versus USILA top-20 opponents. Sunday’s will be Duke’s second against a top-20 foe this season and the 14th time the Blue Devils and Pioneers meet as top-20 teams. Duke is 7-6 all-time in the 13 meetings and 4-3 as the higher ranked team.
- Duke went 5-5 last season against ranked teams and was 3-3 when ranked higher. The Blue Devils were 3-2 in home games against a top-20 foe.
Best of Both Worlds
- Just as Duke University is elite in both academics and athletics, Duke lacrosse excels on both the offensive and defensive ends. The Blue Devils lead the nation in scoring offense and are second in scoring defense. Duke and Richmond are the lone two Division I programs to rank in the top five in both categories.
- Offensively, the Blue Devils are the only team to score at least 20 goals in four games this season. Duke is also the only ACC team to have three different players score at least five goals in a game this season – Benn Johsnton (3x), Max Sloat and Kyle Colsey (2x).
- Defensively, Duke’s 48 goals allowed are the fewest of any Division I program this season and are the fewest in the first seven games to start a season at Duke since 2008. Duke’s opponents are shooting just 23 percent for the year and managing only 29 shots per game.
What Gives?
- Duke’s top-ranked scoring offense will go up against its toughest defensive matchup of the year Sunday against Denver. The Pioneers have allowed double-digit goals just twice this season and kept Cleveland State to one goal and Air Force to just two markers. While Denver’s opponents are averaging 41 shots per game, they are scoring only 18 percent of the time. Denver excels on man-down defense as well, successfully killing off 82 percent of its penalties.
- Duke’s offense, meanwhile, has scored in double digits in all seven games and is averaging an incredible 52 shots per game. The Blue Devils are scoring on 23 percent of their shots and hitting the cage 54 percent of the time. The Blue Devils’ man-up offense is firing at a 60-percent success rate (9-of-15).
A Win Over Denver Would …
- Be head coach John Danowski’s 492nd career win
- Be Danowski’s 273rd win at Duke
- Make Duke 8-0 overall to start the year – the best start since the 2021 team was 10-0
- Give Duke its second top 20 win of the season and 145th under John Danowski
Up Next
- Duke opens ACC play at Syracuse next weekend. Faceoff is set for 12 p.m., in the JMA Wireless Dome.
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