The men’s lacrosse team has spent the early part of its season trying to execute its run-and-gun offense against teams desperately trying to slow the game down.
The Blue Devils (2-0) will play the Virginia Military Institute today, a team that will be more than willing to play at their pace.
“I think at a military school, by nature it is kind of ingrained in these guys,” VMI head coach Doug Bartlett said. “We are not willing to back down from anyone. We are not afraid to go up there and run with them.”
Because of recent rain in Durham, the 3 p.m. game has been moved to the turf field behind Koskinen Stadium, a change that should only increase the speed of the game.
Defending against a team that presses in its own end will be an adjustment for the Duke defense, but the Blue Devils are accustomed to facing that speed in practice.
“We have athletes from top to bottom,” defender Tony McDevitt said. “I feel that if we can pressure the ball, why not? It gives teams a lot more trouble.”
The Blue Devils are led by a one-two scoring punch of sophomore Matt Danowski and freshman Zach Greer, who have combined for 12 goals in their first two games. On the other hand, VMI will bring a more diverse scoring attack today. Six Keydets, including Leo McInerney and David Trimble, who each netted two goals, scored in the team’s 12-8 season-opening loss to Air Force Feb. 27.
“I like to think that we have a bunch of people who have the ability to score,” Bartlett said.
When it comes to shutting down Greer and Danowski, Bartlett said it is important for his players to be aggressive defensively and make sure they get in the way of the Blue Devils as they slash to the cage.
Duke is coming off a 12-10 win over UMBC and will travel to Maryland Saturday for its first ACC matchup of the season.
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