From here on out, the men's lacrosse team doesn't get any more breaks.
After trouncing an unranked Boston College team, 20-2, on Wednesday, No. 8 Duke (1-1) heads into a tough stretch in which it will face three top-20 teams within an span of nine days, beginning with No. 13 Brown, whom the Blue Devils will take on Saturday at Loyola in Baltimore at 3 p.m.
"It's much easier to come off a win and get another win and getting another win, rather than coming off a loss," defenseman Dan Umbel said.
Midfielder Jed DeWick headlines the Bears' squad. DeWick, a 1997 first-team All-Ivy pick, recorded 16 goals and 15 assists last season. Brown's offense is led by attackmen Rob Lyle and Mike Satin. Brown's top returning scorers, Lyle and Satin tallied 34 and 33 points, respectively, last year.
It will be up to Duke's defensive unit of Umbel, Palin Archer and Steve Card to contain the Bears' offense. Although all three are first-year starters, the trio seems to be gelling thus far.
"They're coming together," coach Mike Pressler said. "They're playing better as a unit."
Perhaps the biggest question for both teams is in goal. Last year when Duke faced Brown, two All-Americans-first-teamer Greg Cattrano and second-teamer Joe Kirmser-minded the nets. But both Kirmser and Cattrano graduated. The result is a matchup between two untested goalkeepers, Duke's Craig Seyffer and Brown's Strider Dickson.
"The have an outstanding younger goalie in first-time starter Strider Dickson," Pressler said. "He's a leftie. He's very good; he played on the under-19 National Team with Scott Diggs and Card. He had 17 saves against Georgetown on Saturday and will be certainly tested in goal. We're looking for our goaltender, Craig Seyffer, to have an outstanding game."
Duke and Brown split two games last year, with the Bears pulling out a 9-8 overtime win during the regular season and the Blue Devils eliminating them from the NCAA Tournament in an 11-6 victory last May. Midfielder Tim Knowles will have to defend against DeWick, who scored the game-tying and the game-winning goals in their regular-season battle.
One of the keys for Duke will be whether it can force Brown to play its up-tempo style. While the Bears prefer to play a slower game and scale down the defense, the Blue Devils prefer a running game that leads to quick goals in transition. They hope to pull ahead early and wear the Bears out.
Although its season has just started, Duke is already thinking about the NCAAs. Saturday's contest, a non-conference matchup between two top-20 teams, could be a factor in determining where the Blue Devils will be when tournament time rolls around.
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