Upcoming Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Bellarmine on February 2, 2026 at 12 p.m.
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12 p.m.
Men's Lacrosse
vs Bellarmine
Monday, February 2
Durham, N.C.
12 p.m.
Duke University
vs
Bellarmine
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Delayed Two Days; Duke Opens 2026 Season Monday Against Bellarmine
2/1/2026 12:00:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Gameday Information
The Opening Faceoff
By the Numbers
45 - Percentage of points returning to the Blue Devils in 2026
51 - Career caused turnovers for Aidan Maguire, 16 shy of moving into the top five in Duke history
32 - Caused turnovers for Charlie Johnson last season, second most in Duke single-season history
58 - Combined caused turnovers for Aidan Maguire and Johnson last season, the most by a defensive duo in Duke single-season history
169 - Saves needed by Patrick Jameison to move into the top five in Duke career history - 18 fewer than he had all of last season
8 - Home games for the Blue Devils this season, five of which come in the first month of the season
4 - Preseason All-Americans for the Blue Devils - Benn Johnston, Aidan Maguire, Charlie Johnson and Max Sloat
484 - Career wins for John Danowski - 16 away from becoming the second men's lacrosse coach in NCAA history to amass 500 wins
8 - Points for Tomas Delgado in the final four games of the 2025 season - after posting two in his first 24 games
70 - Percent of Duke's caused turnovers returning for the 2026 season, including the top-three takeaway artists
Series History
Duke Nabs Preseason Honors and Top 10 Rankings
Maguire (1st), Johnston (1st), Johnson (2nd)
USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason All-America
Maguire (1st), Johnston (1st), Johnson (3rd), Sloat (HM)
USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Specialist of the Year
Maguire (SSDM)
Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-America
Maguire (1st), Johnston (2nd), Johnson (3rd), Sloat (HM)
Preseason All-ACC
Johnson (D), Johnston (M), Maguire (SSDM), Sloat (M)
A Win Over Bellarmine Would...
Duke in Season Openers
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's lacrosse, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMLAX".
#GoDuke
- Duke and Bellarmine will face off on Cohan Turf Field due to the expected snowfall in Durham Saturday. Admission to the game will be free, but for safety reasons fans will be required to watch from outside the fence.
- A live stream will be available on ACCNX. The stream will feature just natural sound, using the cameras already in place at the venue.
The Opening Faceoff
- Duke was scheduled to play in the month of January for the first time in program history before winter forced a postponement of the game to Feb. 2. Duke is set to open with Bellarmine Monday at noon. The Blue Devils enter the 2026 season ranked eighth by USA Lacrosse, 10th by Inside Lacrosse and 11th by the USILA.
- The Blue Devils both welcome and return a wealth of talent offensively and defensively. Duke has just 45 percent of its scoring from last season back with Benn Johnston and Max Sloat as the top returning scorers. The Blue Devils' stalwart defense returns mostly intact. All-Americans Charlie Johnson and Aidan Maguire lead the charge after breakout seasons a year ago.
- Duke welcomed 16 new players to the 2026 roster - 10 freshmen, a sophomore transfer and five graduate student transfers. Four of the rookies are ranked in the top 20, including Nos. 10 and 11.
- Bellarmine, in its 22nd season, is coming off an 8-9 season and returns both its top scorer in John Allie and it's top defenseman in Preseason All-ASUN pick Christopher Reynolds. Allie was a Preseason All-ASUN second-team choice after tallying 77 points from 52 goals and 25 assists. Reynolds led all Knights with 15 caused turnovers and picked up 32 ground balls.
- Duke and Bellarmine meet for the sixth time overall with the Blue Devils holding an unblemished 5-0 mark. The average margin of victory against the Knights is 12.6 goals.
By the Numbers
45 - Percentage of points returning to the Blue Devils in 2026
51 - Career caused turnovers for Aidan Maguire, 16 shy of moving into the top five in Duke history
32 - Caused turnovers for Charlie Johnson last season, second most in Duke single-season history
58 - Combined caused turnovers for Aidan Maguire and Johnson last season, the most by a defensive duo in Duke single-season history
169 - Saves needed by Patrick Jameison to move into the top five in Duke career history - 18 fewer than he had all of last season
8 - Home games for the Blue Devils this season, five of which come in the first month of the season
4 - Preseason All-Americans for the Blue Devils - Benn Johnston, Aidan Maguire, Charlie Johnson and Max Sloat
484 - Career wins for John Danowski - 16 away from becoming the second men's lacrosse coach in NCAA history to amass 500 wins
8 - Points for Tomas Delgado in the final four games of the 2025 season - after posting two in his first 24 games
70 - Percent of Duke's caused turnovers returning for the 2026 season, including the top-three takeaway artists
Series History
- Duke and Bellarmine meet for the sixth time and for the second consecutive season in the season opener. The Blue Devils are 5-0 versus the Knights and have an average win margin of 12.6 goals in the five contests, including last season's 26-7 win.
Duke Nabs Preseason Honors and Top 10 Rankings
- Duke enters week one ranked eighth in the USA Lacrosse poll, 10th by Inside Lacrosse and No. 11 in the USILA top 20. The quartet of Charlie Johnson, Benn Johnston, Aidan Maguire and Max Sloat has garnered various preseason accolades.
Maguire (1st), Johnston (1st), Johnson (2nd)
USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason All-America
Maguire (1st), Johnston (1st), Johnson (3rd), Sloat (HM)
USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Specialist of the Year
Maguire (SSDM)
Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-America
Maguire (1st), Johnston (2nd), Johnson (3rd), Sloat (HM)
Preseason All-ACC
Johnson (D), Johnston (M), Maguire (SSDM), Sloat (M)
A Win Over Bellarmine Would...
- Be head coach John Danowski's 485th career win
- Be Danowski's 266th win at Duke
- Be the fifth straight season-opening victory
- Make Duke 17-3 in season openers under Danowski
Duke in Season Openers
- Duke is 16-3 in season openers under head coach John Danowski. The Blue Devils last lost their first game of the season in 2020, falling to Air Force, 14-13. Duke is 10-1 in season openers against unranked opponents since 2007.
- Duke is back in action in four days when it hosts Utah Feb. 6 at 5 p.m., on ACC Network.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's lacrosse, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMLAX".
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's Lacrosse
SSDM
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