The Notre Dame men's lacrosse team surrendered their chokehold on the No. 1 ranking for the first time since the middle of the 2024 season after suffering a pair of heartbreaking one-goal losses to No. 2 Maryland and No. 3 Ohio State. Their most recent trip to Ann Arbor got the Irish back on track, however, as head coach Kevin Corrigan's squad defeated the No. 19-ranked Wolverines 19-7 in a wire-to-wire domination. After taking last weekend off, they prepare to take on No. 11 Duke in South Bend on Saturday. The rematch of the 2023 NCAA Championship matchup, which saw Notre Dame exorcise some demons against the Blue Devils and secure the program's first title, will open up ACC play for both teams. The conference is shaping up to be as competitive as ever with four teams in the top 20, three of which cracking the top 10.
The loss of generational superstar and 2023 Tewaaraton winner Brennan O'Neill headlines a significant talent turnover for the Blue Devils, who came into the season at No. 7 in the nation following a 13-6 2024 campaign that ended in a quarterfinal loss to runner-ups Maryland. Along with O'Neill, Duke lost the rest of their starting attack and 70% of their offensive production, headlined by the departures of Dyson Williams and Josh Zawada. On the other side of the ball, two-thirds of their starting defense is out the door, including five-year stalwart Kenny Brower and 2024 Premier Lacrosse League Long Stick Midfielder (PLL LSM) of the Year Tyler Carpenter. Duke rarely fails to reload, though, and has done so again in 2025. Graduate transfers Eric Malever from Maryland and Luke Grayum from Richmond power the new-look Duke attack, and have hit the ground running in their new colors. Malever has posted 22 goals and the same number of assists for a total of 44 points in 10 games, all team-highs. Grayum slots in behind him in goal production with 19 on the year. Highly touted freshman Liam Kershis, who was the MVP at the New Balance Senior All-America Game, has helped round out the group, tallying seven goals and three assists.
The one area of the field where Duke maintained continuity was in the midfield, where the Blue Devils boast one of the deepest units in the country. The trio of Max Sloat, Andrew McAdorey and Benn Johnston are all offensive threats, and have each eclipsed the 20-point mark already in 2025, the only players to do so other than Grayum and Malever. Defensively, Aidan Maguire and Jack Gray anchor a standout rope unit alongside Henry Bard, who bumped up from defense to long-stick midfield. Sophomore net minder Patrick Jameison, after becoming the first true freshman to start in goal for Duke since 2010 in 2024, has had a solid start to the season, allowing only 8.5 goals per game while posting a .503 save percentage.
The Blue Devils enter Saturday's matchup coming off their worst performance of the season in a 13-6 throttling at the hands of No. 20 Denver. Like the Irish, they have been tested early in non-conference competition, and sit at 8-2 overall. They claim a pair of ranked wins over No. 19 Michigan in overtime and No. 10 Richmond in 2OT, but fell just short in a 14-15 heartbreaker to No. 4 Princeton. Notre Dame has a storied history with Duke, going 16-12 in the all-time series but losing to the Blue Devils in both of their first two national title appearances in 2010 and 2014 before finally getting some revenge in 2023.
Both teams will look to begin their ACC campaigns in winning ways on Saturday, with the face-off at Arlotta Family Lacrosse Stadium set for noon and ESPNU providing the broadcast.
