As he watched the early reports of a scandal involving Duke lacrosse players from his hotel room in Durham, N.C., Georgetown head coach Dave Urick only considered the idea momentarily that the Hoyas game the next day against the Blue Devils wouldn’t take place.
“There was a lot on TV on the news about what was going on,” said Urick. “I thought to myself, ‘Jeez, we might not play this game,’ just kind of a passing thought.”
And so the Hoyas’ pregame routine the next morning at Koskinen Field was already underway when former Blue Devils head coach Mike Pressler arrived with his athletic director to inform Urick that the game would be cancelled. Shortly thereafter, the rest of Duke’s lacrosse season was suspended.
“We didn’t know what to think at that point,” said Hoyas junior midfielder Dan D’Agnes. “We were just taking the information that our coaches were giving us, packed back up and went home.”
One day short of a year to the day, the Hoyas and Blue Devils will renew their rivalry at Georgetown. While the landscape of the sport itself has changed in the last 12 months, the importance of the contest between two schools that consider themselves equals, both academically and athletically, is no different.
“I think [lacrosse is] more under the microscope, in terms of what you’re doing off the field, but it doesn’t change a thing about the game,” said Hoyas senior defender Jerry Lambe. “It’s still one of the biggest games on our schedule. It was, and it’s going to continue to be.”
The Blue Devils have lost two of their last three games, but they’re still ranked fifth in the nation. They have an explosive offense that boasts two of the country’s top scorers, Zach Greer (16 goals, 10 assists) and Matt Danowski (15 goals, nine assists) and an unmatched sense of urgency to prove themselves on and off the field.
“I think [the Duke players] come to the field every day now with an increased appreciation of what the game means, what it means to them collectively and individually,” said Urick. “I think that’s something that everybody can learn from. I tell our guys a lot, ‘Don’t take things for granted. Don’t assume too much.’”
Blue Devils at Hoyas
No. 5 Duke (5-2) at No. 7 Georgetown (4-1)
» When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
