ALBANY — Duke men’s lacrosse goalie Will Helm was excellent in his homecoming. Attack Brennan O’Neill was dazzling, especially on his highlight-reel final goal.
The top-seeded Blue Devils were on point at both ends of the field in a 15-8 NCAA Tournament quarterfinal victory over upstart Michigan before a crowd of 4,224 at the University at Albany’s Casey Stadium.
Helm, a graduate student from Loudonville, made 14 saves and O’Neill, a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award, scored six goals.
Helm played in front of an audience that included his parents, sister, and former teammates at St. Lawrence, the Division III school where Helm spent four years before transferring to Duke.
“Definitely, I think you kind of feel a different sense of pressure playing in front of a hometown crowd or even just your family,” Helm said. “But I was really excited. I love the upstate, I love Albany, and when I think about how crazy this year has been, it kind of seemed fitting to come back and play in Albany one more time.”
Duke (15-2) advanced to the Final Four next Saturday in Philadelphia. The Blue Devils will play in a semifinal against the winner of Sunday’s quarterfinal between Army and Penn State in Annapolis, Md.
O’Neill scored four goals in the first half as Duke seized a 7-4 halftime lead. The Blue Devils built their advantage to 11-6 after three quarters and then O’Neill saved his best for his last goal.
O’Neill carried the ball from behind the goal to four yards in front. With Michigan defenseman Andrew Darby on his back, O’Neill took a quick peek over his right shoulder before unleashing a behind-the-back shot over his left shoulder that bounced through the legs of Wolverines goalie Hunter Taylor.
“Just having fun with it and I don’t really think about it,” O’Neill said. “When an…
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