Every team has its unsung hero.
Senior Will Haus fills this role for the two-time defending national champion Blue Devils. Although the man behind the facemask can be quiet and reserved, his play on lacrosse’s biggest stages has been anything but.
The senior captain doesn’t put up eye-popping scoring numbers like Jordan Wolf. He doesn’t make highlight reels worth of dazzling offensive plays like Deemer Class or Myles Jones. Instead, Haus makes his living as the defensive specialist willing to get his hands dirty to come away with a win.
The 6-foot-1 senior who spent most of his early years in nearby Chapel Hill is called upon to secure crucial extra possessions on faceoffs and provide lockdown defense both in transition and set offenses. Defensive midfielders often earn similar reputations to offensive linemen on the football field—their accomplishments often go unnoticed, but are integral to their team’s success.
“It’s one of those things as a young kid when you just want to get on the field,” Haus said. “That’s where [Coach Danowski] thought I could help the team out the most. I’ve been more than happy throughout the years to play at a position where I’ve felt I helped out the team. After all, it’s a team sport first.”
Defensive midfielder wasn’t the position Haus originally envisioned for himself at Duke. A prolific scorer and two-time All-American for Palmyra Area High School in Palmyra, Pa., Haus tallied a combined 94 goals and 57 assists in his final two seasons before joining the Blue Devils.
In the interest of playing time, Haus shifted his focus from sniping corners to preventing scores. Although his defensive brilliance does not often receive the widespread acclaim that accompanies flashy game-winning goals, the two-time Honorable Mention All-America is more about winning and team glory.
The two national championship rings he now owns serve as a testament to that.
Specializing in his brand of gritty defense doesn’t come without its moments. In last year’s NCAA Championship game against Notre Dame, Haus cleared the ball, outran the entire Fighting Irish team and ripped a shot into the top left corner of the cage to finish a stellar coast-to-coast sequence for the Blue Devils and put the team up 5-1 heading into halftime.
“Every once in a while, I get a goal here and there,” Haus said. “But early on I understood that [defensive midfielder] is a spot out on the field where I can help out and contribute the most. I owned up to that and realized that was best for the team.”
Haus has a knack for performing at his best when games mean the most. Of the 58 ground balls he picked up during the 2013 season, 21 came in the four NCAA tournament wins that gave Duke its first of back-to-back titles.
Danowski isn’t the only major coach to take notice. Haus was selected third overall this January in the 2015 Major League Lacrosse draft and will play for the Charlotte Hounds after chasing a third national title with the Blue Devils. In doing so, he will join his older brother John, who played his college lacrosse at Maryland and is set to begin his third season with the Hounds.
As a senior veteran on a squad full of fresh faces—Duke’s entire attackman unit graduated and none of its defensemen had started a college game before this weekend—Will Haus understands that his contributions in the locker room could mean more to the Blue Devils than his play on the field.
“Being a senior now, people look up to you, people follow you on and off the field,” Haus said. “It’s not just on the field that you have to do the right things. It’s off the field too. I think that’s the first thing you learn as a senior—you need to act right wherever you are. You don’t just represent yourself but Duke lacrosse.”
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