A week removed from its 15-7 win over visiting Harvard, the No. 10 men's lacrosse team (7-3, 0-2) travels to Baltimore, Md., this weekend to face the top-ranked Hopkins Blue Jays (5-1) Saturday afternoon, after a straight week of practice - a much needed pause for the somewhat struggling Blue Devils.
And while it is probably too early in the season for desperation, Duke's chances for making the NCAA tournament become much more murky should it lose this game. An overtime loss to Georgetown last week, combined with two defeats to ACC rivals, has already managed to put Duke behind the playoff eight-ball.
Standing in the Blue Devils' way is not only the talented Hopkins squad, but also the disadvantages of playing at lacrosse's most storied venue, Homewood Field, on which the Blue Jays have won 14-straight games, and where extra large crowds are expected for the game.
"Our backs are against the wall," said senior midfielder Kevin Cassese, who leads the Blue Devil team in ground balls (54) and is currently third in points (21 goals, 8 assists.)
"In the past we've come out swing- ing when we've been in situations like this, and there's no reason we can't do that again.
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