Unfinished business. That's a fair description of how the men's lacrosse team defines last season, but that really only scratches the surface of how much potential the team has and what its own expectations are.
The wound has apparently closed up over the summer and offseason, but when examining this team there is no way to avoid discussion of last year's 12-10 loss to 12th-seeded Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Duke, the tournament's fifth seed, had just come off of winning the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and was gearing itself for a run into the Final Four and possibly a win or two beyond that. The fact that the wheels never even got rolling on that bandwagon has carried over to this season. While head coach Mike Pressler has pointed at the NCAAs and a championship as a main goal, some of his players are making sure they personally don't look too far ahead.
"This year more than any other one, we'll have to take it one game at a time," defenseman Ross Thomson said. "But I really like this team. This team in the most general term has a better focus. It has the best attitude and work ethic of any team I've ever been on in four years.
While many teams like to set high goals and try to achieve them through hard work, the men's lacrosse team is in a different position. Along with the good work ethic, the Blue Devils have something only a few teams in the country boast-excellent physical talent.
The majority of that talent in the beginning of the season will be seen in the defensive section of the field. The leader of the defense will be senior goalie Joe Kirmser, a third-team All-American last year, who comes back as one of the two highest-ranked goalies in the nation. Last season, Kirmser was second in the nation in save percentage at 66.1 percent and fifth in goals against average with just 8.41.
But for Kirmser and his fellow defensive players, an 8.41 GAA this year just won't cut it. A goal has been set to hold opposing teams to under eight goals per game. Supporting Kirmser in this task will be defensemen Greg Ehrnman, Patrick Doyle, Tyler Hardy, David Stilley and Thomson. Thomson will be the only senior among the four other juniors, but junior would be a poor way to describe this defense. According to preseason measurements these five defensemen come in at an average of 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, but that may be a conservative mark. Duke's emergency rescue squad should be advised to pick up a schedule and clear off their calendar when the Blue Devils are playing.
"We return a very veteran defense," Pressler said. "I'm talking about the long-pole players. When you look at the five long sticks that we have back and Joe Kirmser... That will be the strength of our team in '96."
While the defense will be the focal point of this team, the midfield and attack should not be viewed as great weaknesses. The attack has lost Scott Harrison due to graduation, but with a little shifting the Blue Devils should bounce back properly. Senior James Heavey will have the most experience of the attack squad, as he was one of Duke's leaders last year in points with 22 goals and 11 assists. Other keys will be the move of sophomore John Fay from midfield, where he had 12 goals and three assists, along with the return of senior Robert Carpenter, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound attackman who sat out last season with a knee injury.
Duke's offensive output last season was, well, offensive. The Blue Devils scored an average of 13.375 goals per game last year and would like to increase that number this year.
If someone wanted to find a chink in the armor, the midfield would be the most likely place to look. Not only did Duke lose third-team All-American Ross Moscatelli, but Matt Ogelsby, last year's ACC Player of the Year, also graduated. Pressler won't attempt to replace this amount of talent with just two players, but with more depth.
"Our stars are gone," Pressler said. "Maybe our top is not as good in the midfield, but our middle is better. Our depth is better."
This depth will come from players like Steve Ahrens and Joe Donovan, who are returning from injuries last season. The midfield is also the area where it appears some of the most talented freshmen will be playing. Pressler will plan on using three lines equally throughout the season. In charge of helping develop that squad will be junior Jim Gonnella, who along with defensemen Stilley and Thomson, will be captains. Gonnella is a multi-faceted player who had 19 goals and 21 assists last season.
The only other problem the Blue Devils might face will be on the field as Pressler has once again put together an amazing schedule against the top teams in the country. Duke's schedule is rated as the second-hardest in Division I, with nine of its 11 games coming against teams ranked in the top 20.
"It will only help us come tournament time," Pressler said. "Strength of schedule is the first criteria after win-loss record for being accepted to the NCAA tournament. We'll challenge this team."
Duke will certainly be challenged in the ACC, where all four teams are ranked in the top eight in the country, but if the numbers add up it should be fine. No. 7 Duke was 12-4 last year and made its second consecutive NCAA appearance. If both the offense and defense meet the goals of scoring more than 13 goals per game, while holding their opponents to under eight, you can rest assured that you will find the Blue Devils in the NCAAs for the third-straight time and possibly even coming close to their larger goal of an NCAA championship.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.