Duke Opens 2007 Lacrosse Season Against Dartmouth

2/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse

By: Duke Sports Information

The Duke lacrosse team will open the 2007 season against Dartmouth on Saturday afternoon at Koskinen Stadium. Face-off is set for 2 p.m., and admission to the game is free of charge.

First-year head coach John Danowski welcomes back 34 lettermen and six starters from last year's Duke squad that went 6-2 before the season was cancelled. A veteran mentor who enters his 25th campaign as a head coach in 2007, Danowski is coming off his best season in 21 years at Hofstra as the Pride went 17-2 and finished the season ranked second nationally a year ago.

Danowski faces the challenge of assembling the Blue Devils into the form they discovered in 2005 when Duke, one year removed from a 5-8 record, secured 17 wins on its way to the NCAA championship game.

"This group of seniors has been on quite a ride for three years," Danowski noted. "From 5-8 in 2004 to the national championship game to having their season end prematurely, they have had their share of highs and lows. One of the values we'll try to instill in the entire team is to be even-keeled. I think it is important for us to keep a consistent way of thinking and doing things, and not get too high or too low. Sure, there will be a lot of different emotions this year and that is natural, but the players themselves will dictate the type of season we have.

"One of the things I have told the team is you don't have to prove anything to anybody," Danowski continued. "Just come out here and play. Just play for the reasons that you came here for ? because you love the game, you love your teammates, you love the university, and don't worry that you have to live up to some expectations that might be out of sync or out of whack."

The senior class of 2006 ? 11 individuals who were instrumental in Duke's remarkable turnaround from 2005 to 2006 ? was top-heavy with excellent midfielders. Three key departed middies from the program include two-time captain and All-America Matt Zash, Bret Thompson, one of the most consistent players at Duke in recent history, and Kyle Dowd, who was second on the team with 16 goals last year. In addition, attackman Dan Flannery (149 career points) and three-year starting defenseman David Evans also graduated.

Leadership for the 2007 Blue Devils falls into the hands of elected co-captains Matt Danowski and Ed Douglas. The son of the head coach, Matt Danowski was a first team All-America pick in 2005 after registering a school single-season record 92 points on 50 goals and 42 assists while Douglas, who graduated last May and is working on a master's degree at Duke, is the team's top-conditioned athlete and a steady performer at midfield.

"We lost some weapons from last year, especially in the midfield," Matt Danowski said. "But, we have a lot of talent on this team and I think we have a good core group of guys back. We're going to need some guys to step up and fill roles, but I think we're a pretty talented team and we'll see if we can put it together."

Attack

Duke's attack unit is headlined by the return of Matt Danowski and Zack Greer, the second-most prolific active goal-scoring duo in the country entering the season. The younger Danowski has used his athletic abilities and creative play-making senses to post 85 goals and 75 assists in just 41 career games for the Blue Devils. He is on pace to become just the fifth player in ACC history to have 100 goals and 100 assists in a career.

"I honestly didn't know how good he was," the elder Danowski commented about his son. "In my situation, it helps that he is a good player. Can he improve? Sure, but there isn't anything that an attackman does that he doesn't do well."

In Greer, Duke boasts one of the best goal-scoring threats in the country. The left-handed Canadian established an NCAA single-season standard for rookies with 57 goals in 2005, and his 2.64 career goals per game average is the second-highest among active players nationwide.

"Zack has prepared himself mentally and physically for this season," Coach Danowski said. "I have been really impressed with his work ethic. He has exceptional instincts around the cage and, like a lot of Canadians, knows how to get the ball into the net."

Both Danowski and Greer were named preseason first team All-America prior to the 2007 season.

The Blue Devils will look to its youth on the roster to replace Flannery, with several candidates vying for playing time. Juniors Josh Coveleski and Chris Loftus along with sophomore Gibbs Fogarty have game experience at the collegiate level, and freshman Max Quinzani ? the nation's all-time leading scorer for high school lacrosse ? joins the fold. Junior Adam Langley rounds out the position group.

Midfield

With a new coach comes opportunities for players to start over in the earning of playing time, and Duke's deep midfield situation has brought that concept to the forefront. Coach Danowski likes midfielders to play on both ends of the field, with versatility serving as a key ingredient for success.

Seniors Peter Lamade and Fred Krom are the most experienced midfielders from an offensive point of view. Lamade, a second team All-America pick in 2005, has started every game since arriving at Duke and has 31 goals and 21 assists to his credit.

"I don't think I've ever seen a shooter with more pop in his hands than Peter," said Coach Danowski. "He has tremendously quick hands and is simply a very gifted shooter. His goal this year is to become not only a great shooter, but a great scorer."

Krom has helped Duke's second midfield line with his speed in each of the past two seasons.

The senior-laden unit also features Douglas and Michael Ward ? two players who have played large roles in the success of Duke's defense over the past two seasons ? as well as Dan Oppedisano, an experienced face-off specialist, John Walsh and Matt Wilson.

Juniors in the mix along the midfield lines include Bo Carrington, Brad Ross, Rob Wellington and Michael Young. Carrington is an imposing figure at 6-4, 220 pounds while Ross, who won 53.5 percent of his face-off chances in 2006, could be on the verge of breakout a season.

The sophomore class is paced by Ned Crotty, a highly-skilled middie who will compete for action on the first line. He netted four goals with three assists in eight games as a rookie last spring. Three more second-year players ? Mike Catalino, Sam Payton and Steve Schoeffel ? have caught the attention of the coaching staff with solid play during the preseason. Freshman Terrence Molinari will get a chance to contribute immediately while walk-ons James Goldberg, Michael Hutchings and Sam Solie provide depth. Catalino, Molinari and Payton join Oppedisano and Ross as the top choices to handle the face-off duties this year.

Defense

Three preseason All-America selections ? all seniors ? bolster the Duke defense in 2007. Casey Carroll, Tony McDevitt and Nick O'Hara all have significant experience under their belts and rank among the best in the nation at their respective positions.

"Having players who have gained experience in big games makes a big difference," Coach Danowski remarked. "And this group of defensemen has played together, so they should have a good feel for what the other guys are going to do. Experience is something coaches can't teach.

"Casey, Tony and Nick have played a lot of lacrosse over the past three years," Danowski continued. "There shouldn't be anything that happens in a game that they haven't seen before."

Carroll, who has jumpstarted more than a few Duke fastbreaks with his knack for the turnover, is back following a knee injury that caused him to miss the final four games of the shortened 2006 campaign and McDevitt is one of the best overall athletes in the college game. O'Hara's savvy defensive instincts and ability to gather loose balls make him one of the best long stick midfielders in Duke history.

Junior Ryan McFadyen, who started four games last year in place of the injured Carroll, will look to use his 6-6, 225-pound frame to disrupt opposing offenses. Senior Breck Archer, juniors Jay Jennison and Kevin Mayer, sophomores Tom Clute, Dan Theodoridis and Chris Tkac and rookie Parker McKee will compete for playing time.

Goal

Senior Dan Loftus returns after allowing just 5.16 goals per game last year while posting an impressive .687 save percentage. He will be backed up by junior Rob Schroeder while sophomore Devon Sherwood and freshman Max Wygod offer depth.

"The first thing you notice with Dan is that he has great stick skills," said Coach Danowski. "He has played a good amount of minutes at Duke, and we're looking forward to him picking up where he left off last season."

Schedule

Nine home regular season games, participation in the annual First 4 event in San Diego and the hosting of the ACC Tournament highlight Duke's 2007 schedule.

"Not unlike Duke's schedules in the past, this year's schedule is very challenging," Coach Danowski said. "It is our hope that playing tough opponents throughout the regular season will help prepare us for potential postseason action."

The Blue Devils open the season at home against Dartmouth on February 24 and entertain Denver the following day. Duke's league opener is slated for Friday, March 2 as the Blue Devils travel to face Maryland at 7:30 p.m.

Following the trip to College Park, the Blue Devils host St. Joseph's on March 6 before heading to San Diego to play Loyola in the annual First 4 event on March 10. Duke then sandwiches road games with North Carolina (March 17) and Georgetown (March 24) around a home contest against Cornell (March 20). Delaware (March 30) and Bellarmine (March 31) travel to Durham to face the Blue Devils on consecutive days to close the month of March.

The final road game of the regular season features a rematch of the 2005 NCAA title game as Duke faces Johns Hopkins in Baltimore on April 7. The next two Saturdays list the Blue Devils at home against defending national champion Virginia (April 14) and Army (April 21) before Duke hosts the 2007 ACC Tournament at Koskinen Stadium on April 27 and 29.

The Blue Devils close out the regular season at home with Air Force on May 6.