There's nothing like a little last-second heroics to make a history-making moment all the more unforgettable.
The men's lacrosse team earned its first-ever trip to the NCAA Final Four in dramatic fashion on Sunday as it upended Johns Hopkins 12-11 in overtime in the NCAA quarterfinals at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. The fifth-seeded Blue Devils (12-3) forced the overtime period with a pair of goals in the last 39 seconds of regulation and got the game-winner from freshman Jared Frood 1:30 into the four minute extra frame.
"All the credit goes to our 13 seniors," Duke coach Mike Pressler said. "We wanted to win and to play in the Final Four. We are not surprised to be in the Final Four. But we've only been to the tournament four times, and we're kind of the new kids on the block. We've had something special going since September, and the character of this team is amazing."
The win was a mild upset for Duke as it defeated the fourth-seeded Blue Jays (10-4). The Blue Devils also tied the school mark for wins in a season with 12 and set a new record for NCAA tourney wins in a season with two. Duke advanced to the quarterfinals with an 11-6 first-round win over Brown.
The tight nature of the win over Johns Hopkins was nothing new to the Blue Devils, who have endured four overtime contests this season to go along with seven one-goal games.
"We've been in seven one goal games," Pressler said. "But our guys are resilient. When Hopkins was up by two, there was absolutely no panic. No panic."
The Blue Jays' Matt O'Kelley put Hopkins up 11-9 with just 2:57 remaining, giving Hopkins' its biggest lead of the game. But junior John Fay kept Duke's hopes alive when he scored off a feed from senior defenseman Tyler Hardy with just 39 seconds remaining to pull his team within one.
The Blue Devils' Scott Diggs won the ensuing faceoff, allowing Duke to call a timeout and set up a last-second play. With a mere 17 seconds remaining, Hardy found Fay again for the equalizer, giving Fay five goals on the day.
"We made a pact last year that we were going to the Final Four," junior John Fay said. "With one minute left, I still believed in it."
The drama carried over into the overtime period as Hopkins' Werner Krueger won the faceoff, only to have it taken away by Blue Devil senior Greg Ehrnman. Duke then called timeout again to set up its attack.
Senior Ed Fay found Frood with a clutch pass, and Frood finished the play, giving him his second overtime goal of the season.
The Fay brothers combined for 11 points on the day as Ed finished with four assists to go along with his two goals and his brother John's five scores. Senior goalie Joe Kirmser also came up big for Duke, stopping 17 Blue Jay shots on the afternoon.
But perhaps the biggest save of the afternoon came from defenseman David Stilley. Trailing 11-9 and with the Blue Jays stalling with the ball, Kirmser came far out of the net to try and bait Hopkins into taking a shot and surrendering possession of the ball. The Jays' Andrew Godfrey ended up with an open look at the goal, just feet in front of the crease, only to have Stilley strip the ball just as he shot.
The turnover allowed Stilley to get the ball into Hardy's stick and allow the senior defenseman to set up Fay's goal.
The Blue Devils controlled the first half, securing a 5-2 first quarter lead and an 8-4 halftime advantage, but the Blue Jays stormed back in the third period to tie the score at 9-9.
Duke avenged one of its earlier losses this season in its first-round win over Brown. Diggs netted four goals for the Blue Devils as they opened a 4-0 lead and never looked back at Army's Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y.
Now, the Blue Devils face probably their toughest challenge of the season on Saturday when they face No. 1 and undefeated Princeton in College Park in the first semifinal match. Gametime is set for 12 noon.
Should Duke advance, it will face either Maryland or Syracuse, who square off against one another in the second semifinal at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday. Both semifinal matches will be televised live on ESPN2.
The championship match takes place on Monday at 11 a.m. and will be televised on ESPN.
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