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Duke Lacrosse 2025 Preview

Duke Lacrosse came into the 2024 season with a lot of expectations but seemingly fell short given the talent they had on the roster. The Blue Devils started hot, tearing through their non-conference schedule with a series of dominant wins. Bellarmine, High Point, and Jacksonville all fell victim as Duke and its highly effective offense. They took care of business against SJU and Princeton as well, but a 12-14 loss to Penn was the first real unexpected bump in the road. That one stung as it gained much media attention, but they rebounded with a hard-fought win against Loyola and an absolute beatdown of Providence 21-6. The team had no issue getting passed Richmond with an alarming 12-3 final score. At this point it felt like Duke was unstoppable.

Then came ACC play in one of the strongest years the conference has seen in awhile. Their first matchup with Syracuse was a shocking one featuring a 4-10 loss that felt like a true wake-up call. But the Duke lacrosse program bounced back taking down Denver in a gritty battle before escaping Boston University in a one-goal win. That set the stage for the biggest test yet, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The dominant Irish handed Duke a 12-15 loss and suddenly the path to an ACC title looked rough. They responded with a statement win over Virginia, but a bad loss to UNC made things complicated. Duke was able to get past Syracuse in the ACC tournament but ran into a wall yet again when going up against Notre Dame. Their NCAA Tournament run was short lived after a nice win against Utah was meaningless following a loss against Maryland in the second round.

The Duke lacrosse had some serious firepower in 2024 and the stats back it up. Once in a life time generational player Brennan O’Neill was the engine of the offense, racking up 54 goals and 81 points, proving once again why he’s one of the best in the world. Josh Zawada was the ultimate playmaker after coming over from Michigan, leading the team with 45 assists while adding 33 goals of his own. Dyson Williams was a pure goal-scorer, burying 61. Andrew McAdorey, Aidan Danenza, and Benn Johnston provided key depth, each surpassing 20 points. Max Sloat and Charles Balsamo chipped in as well, rounding out an offense that was dangerous at every level.

However Duke is losing some major firepower in 2025 with Brennan O’Neill, Josh Zawada, and Dyson Williams all moving on to the PLL. Aidan Danenza is also gone, leaving some gaps to fill. But there’s still plenty of talent returning. Andrew McAdorey is back for his senior year, and he’ll be expected to take on a bigger leadership role offensively. Benn Johnston and Max Sloat return as key scoring options, both looking to take the next step. In goal, Patrick Jamieson returns after a solid freshman season, where he posted a 53% save percentage. His growth will be huge for the Duke lacrosse program moving forward.

Duke’s 2025 schedule is set, and it’s loaded with challenges from start to finish. The season kicks off with a home game against Bellarmine before an early road trip to Jacksonville. From there, the non-conference slate features some big matchups, including a home battle with Princeton and another tough test against Penn, who took the Blue Devils down last year. Michigan, Air Force, and Providence will also make their way to Durham, while Duke hits the road to take on Richmond this time around. Duke is known for dropping some easier games early in the season, so it is important they get out of February unscathed. Denver is going to have high hopes this year and visits Duke on March 22, providing another marquee out-of-conference battle.

ACC play will be interesting this year as I am not sure Duke even is in Top 3 conversations within the conference. Duke travels to face Notre Dame on March 29 in a game that will have major implications. The Blue Devils also take on out-of-conference Boston University on the road before returning home for a huge showdown with North Carolina on April 12. Their final two games won’t be easy as Syracuse comes to Durham on April 19, and they close out the regular season at Virginia on April 26. With a fresh-looking roster, Duke will have plenty of chances to prove themselves with a nice chip on their shoulder.