Much like Yale in the game prior, Duke burst out of the gates in its first Championship Weekend appearance since 2014. Every player on the Blue Devils’ roster, save for goalie Danny Fowler, had no experience playing on the sport’s biggest stage.
It was hard to tell by the way this team jumped on a Maryland that had made it to this stage in four straight seasons. The catalyst for the early 6-0 run? Montgomery, who like many of Duke’s offensive threats early, drew the Terps’ short stick middies, and took advantage with his speed, scoring two of the six goals and picking up the “hockey assist” on another.
He flew past Maryland freshman Bubba Fairman on his first goal, and beat Adam DiMillo to push the lead to 5-0. Montgomery’s skills did not go unnoticed in Maryland coach John Tillman’s preparation for Saturday, but he said his team had trouble sliding early.
“We had some miscommunication early, and we were late,” Tillman said. “We actually picked up a little too late, and I think that's part of what hurt us was when we addressed the ball. And certainly 15 -- we watched those clips over and over again. I think I had watched every game all year. … They’re just so athletic and so dynamic that before you know it, if you're a half-second late, they're going to make you pay.”
It wasn’t just Montgomery that lent a hand in the Duke early onslaught. Foxborough native Sean Lowrie, Peter Conley, Kevin Quigley and Robertson each had goals in the first half — which ended at 8-5 after Maryland scored twice in the final three minutes.
In total, nine different Duke players tallied a point in the victory.
“It's just kids at this time of year making plays that lacrosse players do,” Danowski said of his contributors on offense. “You kind of put them in situations, but now it's up to them. That's the beauty of our game. The game happens very quickly, and that's the fun.”
The third quarter played out much like Duke’s meeting with Johns Hopkins in the quarterfinals last weekend. Connor Kelly and Bubba Fairman combined on a two-goal run that put the Terps within 8-7 with 8:05 left in the quarter.
Duke’s defense was under pressure and its offense had slipped into a lull for a brief period. Guterding, who leads the nation in goals per game, said he was working too hard to create opportunities for himself, rather than his teammates.
“There was a point where the game got a little tight, and I felt like I needed to kind of take over, and that wasn't the way we were playing in the first half,” Guterding said. “[Assistant coach] Matt Danowski came up to me and just said ‘remember, it's Duke versus Maryland, not you versus Maryland.’ Obviously he's done that to me in the past. It was just a couple-minute stretch where I turned it over or just wasn't really playing team offense. That's on me.”
After Maryland squandered a chance to tie the game shortly after its goal, Duke found its groove again. Guterding helped the Blue Devils control the tempo like it had in the first quarter, dishing it off to Robertson twice for goals in the late third quarter and early fourth quarter.
Duke rode the momentum into a 12-7 lead with 6:48 remaining — one far too large for a Terps team accustomed to playing from ahead. Fowler held strong in the cage, making seven of his 12 saves between the second and third quarters. Whenever the Terps got a sniff of an extended run, Fowler stood tall to fend them off.
“I thought this was Danny's best game of his career,” Danowksi said. “This is not easy, and Connor Kelly is a great shooter, and Bernhardt, and they've got tremendous amounts of weapons, and I thought Danny was relaxed and comfortable.”
The loss puts an end to Maryland’s quest for the first title repeat since the Blue Devils did it in 2013-14. Senior Connor Kelly ends his career with a one-goal, three-assist effort — six of his shots were stopped by Fowler.
Wisnauskas and Jared Bernhardt each had two goals for the Terps offense, which had trouble with a Blue Devils defense that caused 11 turnovers. It was a team that lost significant pieces from last year’s title-winning roster, including Matt Rambo, Colin Heacock, Isaiah Davis-Allen, Tim Muller and others.
Still, the Terps were just the second defending champion to make it back to Championship Weekend.
“We lost some amazing players, three first-teamers, some strong personalities,” Tillman said. “So there were a lot of holes to fill. We just knew we would really have to work hard and improve to go where we want to go, and certainly getting here is a tremendous accomplishment for those guys.”
Kelly finishes the season with 82 points. His 148 goals rank fifth in program history.
“I couldn't think of playing for any other program for under Coach Tillman,” Kelly said. “This program is in great hands, obviously. The past couple years speak for themselves. I've been part of a great group. I can't thank enough the guys for my individual success. It stems from the team and from top to bottom starting with Dan Morris and ending on the attack, so I can't thank enough for such a great journey.”