In a very close game, it's often the intangibles that don't show up in the box score that decide the outcome.
In a second half that saw five ties and four lead changes, No. 9 Duke (5-2) was able to use history and the inspired play of Hunter Henry in its 13-12 victory over No. 4 Georgetown (6-1) yesterday at Koskinen Stadium. Last May, the Hoyas beat Duke in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, ending the collegiate careers of one of the most talented senior classes in Duke history.
"The class of '99 was so disappointed in the way we played last year in that quarterfinal," said coach Mike Pressler. "And if there's anything we could do to put a smile on their face in the year 2000, it was to beat Georgetown."
What put a smile on Pressler's face was the effort of Henry, a junior midfielder who did not record a point.
"[He] was absolutely outstanding today," Pressler said. "He made some plays that were just special. He's got the heart of a lion, and when he's in the lineup, he won't let us lose."
A goal by senior Nick Hartofilis with 2:38 left turned out to be the game-winner, and secured Duke's second straight win over a previously undefeated opponent. The Blue Devils defeated No. 6 North Carolina on Wednesday.
"We knew this week was the biggest week of our season, that it could make or break us," said attackman T.J. Durnan, who also scored four times to add to his conference-leading total of 21.
"After the Carolina game, we enjoyed that night, put it away and we were so focused on this game," he said. "We really wanted payback. I knew we were the better team, and we came out firing."
Duke came out strong to open the game, scoring four goals in the first 10 minutes while holding the Hoyas to just one shot.
"We were a little stung after the Brown loss," goalkeeper Matt Breslin said, referring to the second loss of a two-game skid that sent Duke to 4-2 on the season. "We had a meeting and started beating the ground, and said, 'We're not going to back down anymore.' And we came out strong against Carolina, especially in the second half, and today we came to play right away."
Attackman Greg Patchak's third goal of the opening quarter came with two seconds left and gave the Blue Devils a 5-2 lead, but the momentum quickly switched to the Hoyas between periods.
"The second quarter is killing us every game," Breslin said. "We come out real fired up, and then the emotions wear off. We just have to get a little tougher mentally and stop this trend."
This season, Duke has been outscored 27-11 in the second period, after outscoring opponents 31-13 in the first. The second-half lead was passed like a hot potato between the two teams, neither side able to go ahead by more than one goal. Still, the Duke players always had last year's game in the back of their mind.
"We had a couple of guys who graduated in '99 and were back in the locker room," said Patchak, who finished with four goals. "They had worked so hard, and they remembered their last game against Georgetown. When we saw them, and we saw their faces in the locker room, it just gave us that extra boost of motivation."
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