April 18, 2003

Kevin Cassese and Matt Rewkowski scored three goals apiece and A.J. Kincel came up with 12 saves as 13th-ranked and fourth-seeded Duke defeated fifth-ranked and top-seeded Maryland, 7-6, on Friday night in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament held at rain-soaked Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.

The Blue Devils improve to 8-5 on the season while the Terrapins fall to 7-3. Duke, which has eliminated Maryland from the ACC Tournament in each of the past three seasons, avenged a 13-7 loss to the Terps back on March 1 in College Park.

Duke jumped on top 3-0 in the first 12 minutes of the contest as Rewkowski, Matt Monfett and Cassese scored goals. Maryland's Joe Walters then got the Terps on the scoreboard at the 2:34 mark of the opening quarter, but, on the ensuing face-off, Cassese won the draw, secured the ground ball and raced to goal, beating Maryland goalkeeper Danny McCormick for a 4-1 Blue Devil advantage.

Maryland's Ryan Moran then scored consecutive goals at the 3:40 mark of the second quarter and 14:18 mark of the third period to pull the Terrapins within 4-3. After Rewkowski scored on a pass from Kevin Brennan with 8:54 left in the third quarter, Maryland's Dan LaMonica found the back of the net on a feed from Willy Passavia at the 6:23 mark.

Cassese's man-advantage goal closed the third quarter scoring, and Rewkowski's third goal of the day at the 11:54 mark of the final period pushed the Duke lead to three goals at 7-4.

Maryland fought back with Moran scoring at the 9:51 mark, and Walters' goal with just 46 seconds remaining cut the lead to one. Duke then won the face-off and held the ball until a turnover gave Maryland possession with 13 seconds left. The Terps went the length of the field, but Kincel saved Moran's shot with two seconds left on the clock to preserve the victory.

Rewkowski's three goals on the night increase his team-leading total to 32 on the season.

Duke, the two-time defending ACC Tournament champions, will play the winner of Virginia-North Carolina on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Score By Quarters
Duke: 4-0-2-1=7
Maryland: 1-1-2-2=6

Scoring Summary
First Quarter
Duke -- 13:14 -- Matt Rewkowski (Dan Flannery)
Duke -- 5:24 -- Matt Monfett (Dan Flannery)
Duke -- 3:41 -- Kevin Cassese
Maryland -- 2:34 -- Joe Walters (Dan LaMonica)
Duke -- 2:28 -- Kevin Cassese

Second Quarter
Maryland -- 3:40 -- Ryan Moran

Third Quarter
Maryland -- 14:18 -- Ryan Moran
Duke -- 8:54 -- Matt Rewkowski (Kevin Brennan)
Maryland -- 6:23 -- Dan LaMonica (Willy Passavia)
Duke -- 4:09 -- Kevin Cassese (Kevin Brennan) -- EMG

Fourth Quarter
Duke -- 11:54 -- Matt Rewkowski
Maryland -- 9:51 -- Ryan Moran
Maryland -- :46 -- Joe Walters (Dan LaMonica)

Shots
Duke: 10-9-7-3=29
Maryland: 7-6-5-12=29

Saves
Duke: 4-2-2-4=12
Maryland: 2-2-0-0=4

Ground Balls
Duke: 10-5-5-9=29
Maryland: 3-9-5-12=29

Face-Offs
Duke: 9-14 (Cassese 6-9; D. Wray 3-5)
Maryland: 5-14 (Moran 2-5; Virk 1-2, Tamberrino 0-1; Pastula 2-6)

Clears
Duke: 15-18
Maryland: 16-21

EMO
Duke: 1-4
Maryland: 0-3