With seconds left in the first half and the men's lacrosse team winning 4-3, freshman Scott Diggs threw an inbounds pass from midfield towards the Georgetown goal. Junior midfielder Jim Gonnella picked up the ball and threw it into the net at the buzzer to give Duke a two-goal halftime lead and the momentum needed to finish off the Hoyas.
The ninth-ranked Blue Devils (5-2) came out in the second half and ran roughshod over Georgetown. They outscored the 14th-ranked Hoyas 10-2 in the stanza to give Duke a 15-5 win on Sunday afternoon at Duke Lacrosse Stadium.
"My guys were terrific in the second half," Blue Devil head coach Mike Pressler said. "I asked them for thirty more minutes of their best and they gave it to me. I'm not sure we played great, but we played awfully hard today."
The second half was both an offensive and defensive showcase for the Blue Devils. The half started out negatively for Duke-with a penalty called on it 20 seconds into the half. However, after a fine save by senior goalie Joe Kirmser, the Blue Devils came down the field and junior Alex Whitten scored in a man-down situation just 46 seconds into the half to give Duke a 6-3 lead.
From there, Duke took off. The Blue Devils outscored Georgetown 4-2 over the remainder of the period. Junior defenseman Greg Ehrnman scored his first career goal, running the length of the field to beat Hoya goalie Brian Hole. Junior attackman John Fay notched two goals in the quarter. Fay led Duke with four goals on the day, raising his team-high total to 24 on the season.
"Fay's becoming a great goal scorer," Pressler said. "He's got a great knack for the cage. John continues to impress me with his knack for putting the ball in the goal. He's got a god-given ability and he's a terrific in front of the cage guy."
Duke completely dominated the Hoyas in the fourth quarter. Senior Clay Curtis notched two goals and Gonnella completed his hat trick, as the Blue Devils outscored Georgetown 5-0. Duke controlled the pace of play as it put the game out of reach.
"I think we started to hold the ball more on offense and play with our own tempo," Kirmser said. "On defense we just kept hounding them. Unless they were transition shots, they couldn't bang it in on us when it was settled to offense and defense."
As much as the second half was an offensive free-for-all for Duke, the first half was a struggle for both teams. The half was characterized by long stretches by both teams without goals, as each team struggled to find its rhythm. Kirmser led the Duke defense, notching a season-high 21 saves on the day. Kirmser, along with the rest of the Blue Devils' defense, stymied the Hoyas throughout the day.
The game was played at a more physical level than some of the Blue Devils' recent matches. Duke's defenders repeatedly flattened Georgetown's attackers, and the Blue Devils won the battle of groundballs, 60-48. In the process, Duke also picked up a number of penalties, but the Hoyas were unable to capitalize on their seven man-up opportunities.
"The ball was on the ground a lot more today, which made us play a little more physical," Pressler said. "My guys are as tough as nails and I'll pick my guys over anybody as far as that's concerned."
The win also gave the Blue Devils another opportunity to work on their revamped offense. After its 1-2 start this season, Duke restructured its style of play, making changes on offense in order to get players better shots. The plan appears to be working wonders, as Duke has tallied 24, 15, 11 and 15 goals during its current four-game winning streak.
"We're playing really well," Kirmser said. "To start off the season, we were a little edgy. We didn't execute the game plan. We were worried too much about the other team and what they were doing, instead of about ourselves. This last week, we really made a concerted effort to concentrate on Duke lacrosse-all the things we need to do to play well ourselves. We figured the scoreboard would take care of itself, and it has."
The Blue Devils now get a well-deserved rest before they take on Harvard on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Duke Lacrosse Stadium.
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