Upcoming Event: Men's Lacrosse at #3 Richmond on May 9, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
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7:30 p.m.
Men's Lacrosse
at #3 Richmond
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Duke Earns At-Large Bid to NCAA Tournament; Travels to Richmond
5/3/2026 9:59:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
DURHAM, N.C.—Duke earned one of eight at-large bids to the 2026 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship and will travel to play No. 4 seed Richmond in the first round as announced on the NCAA selection show Sunday night on ESPNU. The Blue Devils and Spiders face off May 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Duke is making its 28th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and enters the postseason event unseeded for the fifth time overall and the first since 2017. The Blue Devils are 1-4 all-time when unseeded.
This will be Duke's second meeting with Richmond in NCAA Tournament action and the 11th meeting overall. The Blue Devils are 9-1 all-time against the Spiders, including last year's double overtime win at Robins Stadium. Duke defeated Richmond, 12-11, in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Richmond, ranked third nationally, captured its second consecutive Atlantic 10 title with an 8-6 win over Saint Joseph's. The Spiders are 14-1 overall with the lone loss coming against Notre Dame. Averaging 15.5 goals per game, Richmond ranks second nationally in scoring offense. The Spiders are equally as stout on the other end of the field in holding opponents to 8.1 goals per game.
Aidan O'Neil leads the offense with 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points. Gavin Creo has 33 goals and Lucas Littlejohn has 40 to round out the high-scoring offense. Vincent Gaylord has been excellent at the dot, winning 58 percent of his restarts. Defensively, the Spiders are forcing 17.2 turnovers per game with Hunter Smith leading the charge with 27 caused turnovers. In goal, Connor Knight has played all but 37 minutes and owns a 7.96 goals against average and a .565 save percentage.
The Blue Devils head into NCAA postseason action sporting a 9-4 overall record. Duke is 44-24 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and has advanced to Championship Weekend 14 times and owns three NCAA titles. Under head coach John Danowski, Duke is 35-14 in the NCAA Tournament.
Junior Benn Johnston and senior Max Sloat pace the offense with 43 and 38 points, respectively. At attack, Johnston is the top goal scorer with 35 tallies, while Sloat leads the midfield with 32 scores. His 32 goals are the most by a Duke midfielder since Deemer Class had 50 in 2016. The rookie trio of Michael Ortlieb (21g, 15a), Kyle Colsey (27g, 8a) and Brady Scioletti (23g, 6a) are having a strong first season, while Liam Kershis (14g, 11a) completes the first midfield line.
Duke features one of the staunchest defenses in the country, allowing just 8.69 goals per game and holding teams to 26-percent shooting. Senior Charlie Johnson anchors the defensive effort with 17 caused turnovers and 25 ground balls. Nikolas Menendez (15 CT) and Henry Bard (15 CT) round out the close defense, while Aidan Maguire (13 CT) headlines the rope unit in his final season. In goal, sophomore Buck Cunningham has started the past two games and sports a 9.59 goals against average and .552 save percentage in his six appearances this season. Patrick Jameison is a three-year starter as well, featuring a 7.90 goals against average and .503 save percentage.
Cal Girard is the primary faceoff specialist and has won 122-of-215 restarts (.567). He picks up the ball on 67 percent of the faceoffs. Ben McCarthy is 56 percent from the dot with 34 ground balls on 53 faceoff wins.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's lacrosse, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMLAX".
#GoDuke
Duke is making its 28th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and enters the postseason event unseeded for the fifth time overall and the first since 2017. The Blue Devils are 1-4 all-time when unseeded.
This will be Duke's second meeting with Richmond in NCAA Tournament action and the 11th meeting overall. The Blue Devils are 9-1 all-time against the Spiders, including last year's double overtime win at Robins Stadium. Duke defeated Richmond, 12-11, in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Richmond, ranked third nationally, captured its second consecutive Atlantic 10 title with an 8-6 win over Saint Joseph's. The Spiders are 14-1 overall with the lone loss coming against Notre Dame. Averaging 15.5 goals per game, Richmond ranks second nationally in scoring offense. The Spiders are equally as stout on the other end of the field in holding opponents to 8.1 goals per game.
Aidan O'Neil leads the offense with 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points. Gavin Creo has 33 goals and Lucas Littlejohn has 40 to round out the high-scoring offense. Vincent Gaylord has been excellent at the dot, winning 58 percent of his restarts. Defensively, the Spiders are forcing 17.2 turnovers per game with Hunter Smith leading the charge with 27 caused turnovers. In goal, Connor Knight has played all but 37 minutes and owns a 7.96 goals against average and a .565 save percentage.
The Blue Devils head into NCAA postseason action sporting a 9-4 overall record. Duke is 44-24 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and has advanced to Championship Weekend 14 times and owns three NCAA titles. Under head coach John Danowski, Duke is 35-14 in the NCAA Tournament.
Junior Benn Johnston and senior Max Sloat pace the offense with 43 and 38 points, respectively. At attack, Johnston is the top goal scorer with 35 tallies, while Sloat leads the midfield with 32 scores. His 32 goals are the most by a Duke midfielder since Deemer Class had 50 in 2016. The rookie trio of Michael Ortlieb (21g, 15a), Kyle Colsey (27g, 8a) and Brady Scioletti (23g, 6a) are having a strong first season, while Liam Kershis (14g, 11a) completes the first midfield line.
Duke features one of the staunchest defenses in the country, allowing just 8.69 goals per game and holding teams to 26-percent shooting. Senior Charlie Johnson anchors the defensive effort with 17 caused turnovers and 25 ground balls. Nikolas Menendez (15 CT) and Henry Bard (15 CT) round out the close defense, while Aidan Maguire (13 CT) headlines the rope unit in his final season. In goal, sophomore Buck Cunningham has started the past two games and sports a 9.59 goals against average and .552 save percentage in his six appearances this season. Patrick Jameison is a three-year starter as well, featuring a 7.90 goals against average and .503 save percentage.
Cal Girard is the primary faceoff specialist and has won 122-of-215 restarts (.567). He picks up the ball on 67 percent of the faceoffs. Ben McCarthy is 56 percent from the dot with 34 ground balls on 53 faceoff wins.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's lacrosse, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMLAX".
#GoDuke
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