Marquette faces No. 3 Duke Friday in Durham
4/18/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 18, 2018
| 2018 Marquette Men's Lacrosse - Game 12 | |
| Marquette (6-5) vs. #3 Duke (11-2) | |
| Date | Friday, April 20 | 6 p.m. CT |
| Location | Koskinen Stadium | Durham, N.C. |
| Live Links | ACC Net.+ (WatchESPN) | Stats |
| Social Media | Twitter  (in-game updates) | Facebook  | Instagram  |
| Materials | Game Notes  | Record Book |
| HEADstrong | Purchase Uniform | Donate |
MILWAUKEE - The Marquette University men's lacrosse team heads to Koskinen Stadium in Durham, North Carolina to face the No. 3 Duke on Friday, April 20 at 6 p.m. Central time.
The game will air live on ACC Network+, which can be accessed through the WatchESPN application.
The Golden Eagles (6-5, 3-1 BIG EAST) bounced back from a heartbreaking 7-6 defeat to No. 14/15 Notre Dame with their own thrilling victory over Providence on Senior Day at Valley Fields. Freshman attackman Griffin Fleming scored the game-tying tally in regulation and John Wagner sealed the 12-11 win with his fourth overtime game-winner of the season.
Fleming was honored BIG EAST Freshmen of the Week on Monday after his tying goal and career-best four points against the Friars. Wagner earned his second BIG EAST Attack Player of the Week honors after a career-high six-point day against PC, which included three goals in the final 1:51 of game action. He was also named the Warrior/US Lacrosse Player of the Week.
The Blue Devils (11-2, 3-1 ACC) are riding a three-game winning streak into the weekend after last week's 18-13 victory over then-No. 10 Virginia. Senior Justin Guterding posted nine points on four goals and five assists against the Cavaliers and was named ACC Player of the Week for the fourth time this season. Georgetown-transfer Peter Conley and Joe Robertson both contributed three goals for the Blue Devils, who scored five goals in the final four minutes after leading by just one at the half.
Guterding is the first player in Duke history to tally over 70 points in each of his four seasons and is second with 315 career points and ninth in NCAA history.
Last season Marquette fell to Duke, 11-7, in the HEAD Coaches Classic at Valley Fields in the closest final score in series history. Attackman Joe Dunn led Marquette with two goals and Guterding led Duke with a hat trick.
The Blue Devils own the all-time series 5-0 against the Golden Eagles and are 2-0 against MU in Durham. Head coaches Joe Amplo and John Danowski have a history with one another going back to Amplo's career at Hofstra University. He played under Danowski as an all-conference defenseman and served as his assistant coach after graduating.
Following Friday's game, the Golden Eagles will play their regular season finale against Denver on April 28.
2018 MARQUETTE LACROSSE SENIOR CLASS
- Record: 35-24 (12-7 BIG EAST)
- Two-time BIG EAST Tournament Champions
- Two NCAA Championship Appearances
- Nearly 30 weeks in the national rankings and 46 total weeks receiving votes
- First win in program history over a ranked team came in 2015 debut (at Leigh on 2/7/15)
- Four wins over top five teams
- 4-1 record in the BIG EAST Championship
NOTABLE CAREER MARKS VERSUS DUKE:
- MU all-time record: 0-5
- Cole Blazer (2 GP, 0-2, 12.45 gaa, .333 sv%, 21 svs, 25 ga)
- Zachary Melillo (2 GP, 17-of-41, .415 fo%, 5 gb)
- Noah Richard (1 GP, 3 gb, 1 ct)
- John Wagner (2 GP, 7 shots, 1 gb, 4 to)
- Colin Riehl (3 GP, 4 gb, 1 ct)
AMPLO AND DANOWSKI SHARE TIE TO HEADSTRONG FOUNDATION
- Marquette's game against Duke is played in support of the HEADstrong FoundationÃÆ'¢"¢, whose mission is to improve quality of life for those affected by blood cancers and supporting those working to eliminate the diseases. Head coaches Joe Amplo and John Danowski recruited and coached HEADstrong founder, Nicholas Colleluori at Hofstra University, where they were directly involved with the Colleluori family during Nick's 14-month battle against cancer and continue to be active with the organization he created.
- More information on the HEADstrong Foundation can be found at www.HEADstrong.org.
LIME GREEN JERSEYS SOLD ON GOMARQUETTE.COM BENEFIT HEADSTRONG
- In honor of USILA's HEADstrong Awareness Month, the Golden Eagles are selling their remaining uniforms from the 2015 HEAD Coaches Classic against Duke for just $30 on GoMarquette.com's auction site. All proceeds from purchases benefit the HEADstrong Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on improving lives affected by cancer. Various numbers and sizes are available for the white uniforms, which feature lime green numbers with 'Marquette' emblazoned on the front and 'HEADstrong' on the back.
FLEMING AND WAGNER CAP STUNNING RALLY VS. PC
- Marquette scored the last five goals in the April 14 overtime victory over Providence in the final 1:51 of game play after trailing by four, 11-7, with under two minutes left in regulation. Freshman Griffin Fleming capped the furious fourth quarter rally with the tying goal as time expired after three quick MU strikes pulled MU within one. The Friars won the final face-off of regulation and attempted to kill the remaining seconds before freshman midfielder Evan McGreen flung the ball into the air towards the middle of the box. Marquette SSDM Luke Anderson grabbed the ball and quickly got it downfield to Fleming for the score.
- John Wagner scored three goals in the last two minutes of play after MU trailed 11-7 on Kevin McCordic's goal with 2:26 left in the fourth quarter. Wagner scored at the 1:37 and 36-second mark of the fourth before posting the OT winner just 14 seconds into the extra session.
MELILLO LEADS FACE-OFF UNIT
- Senior faceoff specialist Zachary Melillo has earned a pair of BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll mentions in 2018 after going 15-of-20 against Detroit Mercy on Feb. 24 and 17-of-26 against No. 8 Villanova on March 31. Melillo has also been on a tear since returning from injury for the March 31 game against VU, winning at a 69.2 percent clip (63-of-91) against the Wildcats, St. John's, Notre Dame and Providence. If he were at the NCAA's 75 percent threshold for games played, he would rank eighth in the country with a winning percentage of 64.3 in 2018.
- He holds a career 56.4 percent mark at the dot in his MU career and tied his own MU record in the Golden Eagles' NCAA tournament game at Notre Dame last season with 19 wins. His work against Denver's Trevor Baptiste in the last two BIG EAST Championships paved the way for MU's two league tournament crowns. He currently sits fourth in NCAA Division I among active face-off specialists with over 540 career wins, including his time at NJIT as a freshman.
- Melillo was called the 2016 team MVP by head coach Joe Amplo because of what his presence at the face-off X meant to the entire Marquette squad. The Warren, New Jersey native went on to set the MU career face-off win record in just his first season with 178 victories. That 56.2 percent clip ranked him 21st in the nation and helped him earn All-BIG EAST Second Team accolades.
RICHARD IS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE MIDFIELD
- Junior LSM Noah Richard has played a big role in Marquette's victories this season and the squad is 6-2 with him in the lineup on the wing. The West Chester, Pennsylvania native recorded a pair of caused turnovers in MU's first two games of the season (along with five ground balls at Detroit) and had a ground ball against Ohio State before leaving the game with an injury. The junior then missed MU's next three games (losses to Bellarmine, Robert Morris and Michigan) before returning for the BIG EAST-opening win over Georgetown. Richard has notched at least four ground balls in the five games since returning from injury, picking up a career-high eight and adding his first goal of the year in MU's win at St. John's on April 7. He leads MU with 22 ground balls (5.5/game) in BIG EAST play and has a pair of points.
WAGNER COMES UP CLUTCH AGAIN
- John Wagner has stepped into a more prominent role as the lone returning starter on offense and is leading the way for the Golden Eagles with 25 goals and eight assists in 2018. The St. Davids, Ontario native has five game winners through MU's first 11 games, including overtime clinchers against then-No. 4/6 Ohio State (3/2), then-No. 16/18 Georgetown (3/24), St. John's (4/7) and Providence (4/14). He also scored the winner against Jacksonville in the season opener on Feb. 17 with under 10 seconds remaining.
- Wagner tied for second on the team with 22 goals as a sophomore and posted a combined six goals against Denver last season, including a career-high four in the BIG EAST semis. He also scored a total of five goals at Notre Dame with a hat trick in the 2017 NCAA First Round.
- Wagner experienced an up-and-down freshman season in 2016, playing in all 16 games, but scoring in just two of them. The Canadian carved out a more prominent role on the first line as a sophomore and had an eight-game scoring streak that was snapped against Duke on April 22, 2017.
CONNOLLY GROWING INTO ROLE ON CLOSE D
- Junior Brendon Connolly is in his first season starting on close defense after playing his first two seasons at LSM and leads the squad with 15 caused turnovers, eight more than his closest teammate (Noah Richard with seven). The Towson, Maryland native picked up a career-best five ground balls against No. 14/15 Notre Dame on April 11 and took a handful of second half face-offs on the wing. He also chipped in his first career assist for a game-tying third quarter goal against the Irish after racing downfield to complete a clear himself. His 15 caused turnovers so far in 2018 rank seventh for an MU player in a single season.
BLAZER SECURES THE CREASE
- Goalie Cole Blazer earned his first BIG EAST weekly accolade of 2018 on March 26 when he was named the league's defensive player of the week after posting a then-season-high 15 saves in Marquette's league-opening OT win over Georgetown on March 24. He topped that mark with 16 saves at St. John's on April 7 in MU's second BIG EAST win.
- Blazer continued his stellar play in net during his first full campaign as MU's starter in 2017, culminating in BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player honors. The junior made a total of 23 saves in the wins over No. 2 Denver and Providence and contributed to his own cause with a goal as time expired against the Pioneers in the semifinals. He posted a .521 save percentage as a junior with a 9.17 goals against average.
- He was named to the 2018 All-BIG EAST Preseason Team, is a two-time All-BIG EAST Second Team selection and has also been selected to the All-BIG EAST Championship team as MU won titles in 2016 and 2017.
