When Duke squares off against Virginia Saturday at 6 p.m. in Charlottesville, the Blue Devils will see some of themselves in the Cavaliers in more ways than one.
Virginia, like No. 2 Duke (11-1, 2-0 in the ACC), features a prolific offense. The third-ranked Cavaliers (10-1, 1-1) score 14.6 goals per game, second in the nation to the Blue Devils' 15.8. Most of those tallies, just as in Duke's case, come on the fastbreak, as Virginia likes to push the tempo.
Both ACC programs have been remarkably successful the past several years, with the Cavaliers winning the 2006 national championship and the Blue Devils finishing as runners-up in 2005 and 2007.
And, in a new twist to this conference rivalry, a former Duke player has joined the Virginia ranks-Peter Lamade, who elected to use his fifth year of eligibility with the Cavaliers.
"He just said that his time was done here, and he was going to look forward," head coach John Danowski said. "It's always strange when you compete against somebody else that played at your school.... It's bizarre. You wish Peter was here, but at the same time, he had to make a decision that was best for him, and you wish him well."
Lamade transferred to the school where his brother, Ted, was a captain in 2004. Three years later, Peter Lamade will be the second former Blue Devil to face off against his former team.
"It's going to be weird to play Peter," senior midfielder Brad Ross said. "We're going to be friends with him after the game, but during the game he's No. 39 for UVa. I'm sure if he comes across the middle, nobody's going to pull up on him."
As if Duke playing against Lamade and his new team weren't strange enough, the circumstances surrounding his transfer complicate the situation even further. Virginia head coach Dom Starsia criticized the NCAA's decision to award the Blue Devils an extra season, saying at the time that the indicted duo of Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty probably deserved another year, but the other Blue Devil players did not.
Starsia, however, allowed Lamade to transfer and play his fifth year with the Cavaliers.
"He was somewhat critical of the process, not of Duke, but just of the process itself," Danowski said. "But by the same token, I think he's a good enough person and a big enough man to accept Peter Lamade, which I think is a positive thing.... He certainly could've turned his back on Peter, and he didn't."
After starting every game during his Duke career, Lamade has come off the bench in eight of Virginia's contests this season, a sign of the Cavaliers' talent level.
"That just shows how deep they are and how many guys they play," attackman Matt Danowski said. "That's going to help them in their ability to run and play fast-paced, so we've got to be wary of that, know who's on the field and know that we can't get caught up in that game. We have to play our game and our style."
This will be the first time all season that the Blue Devils have played a team that likes to push the tempo as much as they do, so they will have to adjust to defend the offensive style that has worked so well for them this year. They will also look to slow down the pace and control the ball when necessary, hoping not to get too absorbed in an uptempo game.
And while Duke's physical play was key in its 17-6 win over Johns Hopkins April 5, the Blue Devils cannot afford too many penalties against the Cavaliers. Virginia converts an NCAA-best 61.5 percent of its extra man opportunities. John Danowski called them "just about unstoppable" with the extra man.
The Blue Devils, though, have been stopping just about everybody this year, and they're hoping that continues against a squad they defeated for the 2007 ACC Championship and that now includes one of their former teammates.
"When the game gets going, it's going to be Duke vs. Virginia-it's not going to be anybody vs. Peter Lamade," Matt Danowski said. "But I'm sure in the pregame warmups it'll be funny just to see him out there in those stupid-looking helmets and the orange jersey. It'll be good just to see him again and see him playing."
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