When you're undefeated and off to the best start in school history, apparently you become a bit more discriminating.
The second-ranked men's lacrosse team (9-0) beat UMass (3-5) 13-8 Saturday at Duke Lacrosse Stadium, but not everyone was satisfied with the win. In fact, Blue Devils coach Mike Pressler wasn't pleased at all.
"I'm not happy," he said. "I've seen what these guys can do in practice; I've seen what these guys do in glimpses. And I'm still waiting for that to happen: four quarters of our very, very best."
And while the game's outcome was never really in question, Pressler once again was forced to watch his team battle through a sluggish start. UMass got on the board first when Jay Negus scored with 9:17 left in the first quarter. The Blue Devils committed several early turnovers, and the less-talented Minutemen outplayed Duke at the start.
"We still haven't put four quarters together," Pressler said. "We still haven't done it. Here I am, we're 9-0, and I should feel a lot happier than I am now, but I'm not, because we haven't played our best."
Duke had some early opportunities, but one shot hit the post and a few more were blocked by nice saves from keeper Chris Campolettano. But, the Blue Devils feel, the bottom line is that in wins against teams like Harvard and UMass, Duke has not been able to put its opponents away.
"It might be a different story if we score three or four quick goals," attackman Jared Frood said. "The defense gets all flustered and then it could be a different outcome. The beginning of a game can make or break a team. It just so happens that we're not scoring goals."
Duke finally started clicking with a 4-0 run, sparked by three goals from Frood. He added one more goal by the half's end as Duke took an 8-3 lead into halftime. Frood simply overpowered his opponents, and his five points on four goals and one assist led all scorers.
"He can do that anytime he wants," Pressler said of Frood's sudden spurt of domination. "Jared's one of the most powerful dodgers, and he can create his own shots like no other attackman we've had here, including John Fay. He's tremendous at that."
T.J. Durnan added four goals of his own, and at times, Duke's offense was efficiently moving the ball. The Blue Devils created several open looks from right outside the crease and often converted from point-blank range. But at other times, that offense could not be found.
"This score should have been wider than it was," Pressler said. "We had these spurts on offense where amnesia sits in and we forget what we've been practicing all week and we become a little forceful with the ball."
And while Duke's superior talent has carried it in recent wins over Harvard and UMass, the Blue Devils will have to legitimately outplay their next two opponents: ACC rivals North Carolina and Virginia.
"We've got to start playing our best because the stakes are going up even higher," Pressler said. "The two ACC games this week are the biggest games of our lives. We've got to play better."
Note: Duke's nine game winning streak breaks the school record of eight set last season. Coincidentally, last season's record-breaking win also came against UMass.
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