John Fay has already begun the practice of leaving his mark with the Duke men's lacrosse team. The sophomore from Canton, N.Y., has made a huge impact on this year's team, currently ranking second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 31 goals scored.
However, the way the other players and coaches beat on him in practice, you'd never know he's anything special. In a scrimmage last week, Fay received the ball near the opposing goal. Four sticks flew at him at once and he fell to the ground. The coach's whistle blew, and he got up slowly before breaking into a run towards the action. A few minutes later, he fell again. This time, the coaches weren't so lenient.
"Get up, Fay," the coaches screamed at him. No special treatment here.
When his side scored and the opposing team took possession, Fay hung back in what may have been his only chance to rest. In a minute, the ball returned to his side again, and he scrambled after it. Fay got the ball and was nearly mauled by his opponent, but he still managed to pass it off. Despite the long distance, Fay's pass was fast and right on target. He relaxed for just a moment-but soon found this to be a big mistake.
"Keep your man occupied, Fay, you gotta move," assistant coach Steve Finnell called out.
Fay responded with a move inside as he caught a pass despite being surrounded by defenders. Quickly, he tossed it into the goal for a score.
"Nice handle, Johnny."
This comment seemed to be an understatement, as Fay was catching and holding onto passes when he should have been worried about making it uninjured to his next game. After practice, head coach Mike Pressler became much more complimentary toward Fay-not within his earshot, of course.
When asked about Fay's performance, Pressler immediately spouted off praises of his sophomore star. Pressler chose to move Fay from midfield to attack this year. When asked about this decision, he cited Fay's natural talent.
"John has a gift," Pressler said. "He's a goal-scorer. Scorers aren't made, they're born. He's very slick around the net. He has the ability to catch the ball, get around the net and deposit it."
One reason Fay did not move to attack until this season is that the Blue Devils lost their top scorer from last year, according to Pressler. The other reason is that Fay is left handed. From the right side of the field, Pressler explained, a team needs a southpaw to create more scoring opportunities.
Yet despite high praises from his coach, Fay refuses to take the credit for his success. When he was asked how he has done so well this season, he named everything and everyone but himself.
"The whole team's been playing well, really moving," Fay said. "I've been getting some good feeds from Gonnella and Heavey.... I've had to try to score some goals and get open."
Even though Fay is not willing to talk about his accomplishments, he has played a major role in the Blue Devils' contests this season. At the same time, however, Fay knows that the competition will continue to challenge 10th-ranked Duke.
"There are no easy games left..." Fay said. "We have to take one game at a time."
Fay, however, should be ready for the challenge which the rest of the season presents. His work ethic sprouts from his intense high school and summer work which has springboarded him to his successful lacrosse career. Over the summer, Fay plays box lacrosse in Canada. He said that this indoor game helps him to improve his stick handling. During high school, he not only played lacrosse, but also competed in football and hockey, the latter of which contributed to his current knack for scoring and conditioned him for play at the Division I level.
Fay's endless training and work ethic has paid off for the men's lacrosse team, as he has converted goal after goal to help Duke gain its top-10 national ranking and another shot at the NCAA Tournament.
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