The men's lacrosse team had a more productive spring break than most Duke students. During the week, the Blue Devils faced off against two of the best teams in the nation, and came up with two big wins, securing their spot among the nation's elite.
No. 5 Duke (5-1 overall, 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) first upset then-No. 4 Navy 12-9 on Mar. 16 in Durham. Six days later, the Blue Devils traveled to Washington, D.C., and defeated No. 6 Georgetown, 8-7. With the victories,Duke has won three games in a row, and has recorded four of its five wins against teams ranked eighth or higher.
"We had a heck of a spring break," coach Mike Pressler said. "We're 5-1 and playing well. I'm pleased, and I think the players are pleased."
The key to the Blue Devils' impressive victories was defense. Georgetown actually outshot the Blue Devils 45-32, and scooped up eleven more ground balls, but they were still held to only seven goals. Led by senior goalie Joe Kirmser, who racked up 33 saves in the two contests, Duke was able to contain two strong offenses to under 10 goals each game. Aside from stopping shots, the long poles scored key goals in both contests.
"Our defense has been rock-solid all year," Pressler said. "We struggled a bit offensively, but the defense played great, especially on Saturday [against Georgetown]. They couldn't crack our perimeter. Kirmser's been the story in the cage all year. He's been good, if not great, in all of our games this year. He was on his game."
In last Sunday's contest, the Blue Devils took on an undefeated Navy team, and were forced to play catch-up early, as the Midshipmen started off with a bang. Navy midfielder Michael Newton led the opening charge, scoring two of his three goals in the first five minutes of play. Duke tied the score by the end of the first quarter, but the Midshipmen answered by opening the second quarter with two more goals.
The Blue Devils then responded with an offensive tear of their own, scoring five consecutive goals in the second period. Duke held a 7-5 edge at halftime and never lost its lead.
Leading the Blue Devils' offensive attack were freshman Nick Hartofilis and junior John Fay, who contributed four and three goals, respectively. Senior Jim Gonnella had two goals of his own to go along with his game-leading three assists.
"We had great transition from defense to offense," Pressler said. "We had several fast-break opportunities when we had numbers, and we executed them well and scored goals."
Saturday's contest with the Hoyas was equally close. Neither team ever held a lead of more than two goals, and leads of that size were usually short-lived. Playing in front of nearly 1,500 fans, Georgetown was hoping to extend its home winning streak to eleven.
After the Blue Devils let up a goal just over a minute into the game, Duke sophomore midfielder Scott Diggs responded with two consecutive goals, and Scott Allen expanded the lead to 3-1. Diggs, coming back to the team after a hamstring injury, made his return a memorable one, leading the Blue Devils with three goals.
Georgetown's sophomore attackman Greg McCavera single-handedly kept the Hoyas in the game, scoring all four of his team's first-half goals.
The game remained a tight battle until 6:15 remained in the fourth quarter, when senior midfielder Jim Gonnella scored his first goal of the game, giving the Blue Devils an 8-6 lead.
A few minutes later, however, Georgetown's Dan Martin got on the scoreboard, squeezing a shot through the pipes and narrowing Duke's lead to one. Then, in the final minute of play, the Hoyas took three shots on goal, but none found the net as the Blue Devils escaped with an 8-7 victory.
"We have a lot of seniors on this team," Pressler said. "When it comes down to crunch time, we don't panic. We have a lot of poise and senior leadership that keeps us from panicking."
Georgetown seemingly won the game statistically, taking more shots, scooping more ground balls and winning more face-offs than Duke, but the Hoyas never had the lead after their opening goal. Both teams showed well-balanced attacks, as Diggs was the game's only multi-goal scorer, and no player on the field had more than one assist.
With half of the season and five ranked opponents behind them, the Blue Devils will begin their tough final stretch next Saturday by traveling north to challenge No. 17 Harvard.
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