COLLEGE PARK, Md. D Any number of factors can influence the final outcome of a lacrosse game. Ground balls, face offs, clears, penalties -- each has a hand in determining which team leaves the field victorious, and which leaves dejected.
But in the Duke lacrosse team's 13-6 loss to number-one ranked North Carolina Friday night in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, the deciding factor was something much simpler -- a coin toss that determined who would defend which end of the field.
"I knew the flip of the coin was a key thing, and they won the toss," Duke head coach Mike Pressler said in the locker room following the loss. "We were on defense at the bad end the first and third quarters, and it got really bad in the third because the sun was right over top. Everything they shot seemed to go in."
When that fateful third quarter began, the two teams were on level ground. The score was tied 2-2. Each squad had won three of the first half's six face offs. The Blue Devils had a slight edge in ground balls, 31-29. Carolina had unleashed more shots, but Duke goalkeeper Carter Hertzberg had already made an astounding 15 saves.
But in the 12 minutes following halftime, the Tar Heels rifled six straight shots past Hertzberg, who was obviously bothered by the sun in his face.
"I'm not gonna make an excuse, but it definitely came into play," said Hertzberg, who's 24 saves was a new ACC Tournament semi-final record. "You saw guys cringing from passes out there. Some of the Carolina guys, the ball got thrown to them and they'd duck because they couldn't see. When they're shooting, it's coming a hell of a lot harder than the passes."
But take away the sun, and take away the third quarter, and this game was undoubtedly Duke's best effort of the season. Hertzberg's performance in front of his hometown crowd not only included a record number of saves, but all the intangibles as well.
He knocked down any pass that came near the crease. He dove after any shot that bounced toward the endline. And when slack officiating let the game get hectic, he abandoned the crease and took matters into his own hands with a leveling check that restored order amidst the chaos.
The Duke offense showed great patience in slowing down the game's tempo and utilizing its set patterns. Their 22 shots for the game and nine for the first half (compared to Carolina's 53 and 26) were more a product of this discipline than a lack of opportunities. Neither team found the back of the net until over twelve minutes had run off the clock.
Midfielder Mike Clayton finally ended the standoff with a goal off an assist from Bo Mahoney. Matt Ogelsby registered the next Duke tally nearly halfway through the second quarter.
"We came in with a good game plan," said Ogelsby, Duke's only multiple-goal scorer on the night. "We wanted to control the tempo, win the face offs, and get the ground balls. We did it in the first half, but we didn't do it in the second."
That was indeed the story of the game for the Blue Devils -- a near-perfect first half, and an uncontrollable second. With the sun at their backs, the Tar Heels took over every phase of the deadlocked game.
For the third quarter, they outshot Duke 17-6. They won five straight face offs and eight of ten overall. They scooped up 15 ground balls to Duke's seven. Once again, they showed their superiority -- at least in numbers.
"The biggest thing again was our lack of people," said Pressler, noting the scant 26 players Duke dressed for the game, 18 of whom saw action. "They throw waves of people at you. Their legs just kind of wore us down. People don't understand, you miss the shot, you miss the ground ball. . .Fatigue causes a lot of those mistakes."
As the quarter closed, Duke made a strong comeback attempt -- which included goals by Ogelsby and attackmen Bob Carpenter and Seth McCulloch, all within a span of two minutes -- but could not overcome the hordes of sky-blue jerseys that seemed to flow endlessly from the sidelines, or the momentum upon which they flowed.
Worn down and resigned to defeat, the Blue Devils could only manage one goal for the entire fourth quarter, a floater by Scott Harrison that sailed over UNC goalie Gary Lehrman's stick.
With the win, North Carolina advanced to the tournament's final round, where Sunday they defeated Maryland -- a 9-8 semi-final winner over heavily favored Virginia -- by a score of 18-10. It was the Tar Heels sixth consecutive ACC title, and solidified their claim as the nation's top team as the NCAA tournament fast approaches.
The loss for Duke, however, leaves its future regarding postseason play extremely uncertain.
"We're 8-5," said Pressler, "and we're still in the playoff hunt. I think we can play with anybody, and we can beat anybody. We gotta beat Georgetown [next Saturday] and see where everyone else finishes up. Maybe it's good enough, maybe it isn't."
After the talent the Blue Devils showed in the first half Friday, it would truly be a shame if it wasn't.
NOTES: Hertzberg and Ogelsby were both named to the All-ACC Tournament team. . .UNC senior attackman Dan Levy was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. . .Maryland will also host the NCAA Final Four next month.
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