When the second-ranked Blue Devils travel to Baltimore, they won't just be facing one of three teams to beat them last year, Loyola.
And they won't just be going to the city where they lost the national championship game last May either.
As Duke squares off against the Greyhounds (2-1) Saturday at 2 p.m., it will also mark the first time the Blue Devils (4-0) face former teammate Collin Finnerty since he transferred to the Maryland college last year.
"It's weird anytime you play against a transfer," head coach John Danowski said. "You see that guy that you were buddies with and hung out at the Bryan Center or hung out at Cameron [with], and all of a sudden he's wearing another jersey. It's going to seem strange, but once that first whistle blows and once the guys get a glimpse of him pre-game, I think that the guys will settle down and just play."
Finnerty, however, isn't a typical transfer. The formerly-indicted redshirt sophomore enrolled at Loyola in the fall after a tumultuous year under the national microscope. Despite the difficult circumstances, he has fit in well with the No. 13 Greyhounds, starting in all three games and scoring two goals this season.
"I couldn't imagine what that would be like, to start over fresh like that after building bonds with guys," attackman Matt Danowski said. "He was here for two years and then having to start over fresh, especially after what he went through-that would be really tough. But he's a great kid and he's a special person, so he can handle a situation like that."
Several of the Duke players talk to Finnerty on a regular basis, and they are happy he found a place to play where he isn't held to any kind of a double standard. They know, however, that Finnerty will not be a friend once the game starts.
They also know that he is a dangerous player and that he may have some extra motivation against his old team.
"Until the game's over, Collin's just No. 20 on the other team," senior Brad Ross said. "We're going to handle him the same way we would cover any good attackman.... I'm sure he's going to want to put one past us, so we'll have to tighten up."
Aside from containing their former teammate, the Blue Devils will have to stop a team that is not intimidated by Duke, according to John Danowski. The Greyhounds have had previous success against Duke-including their 8-7 victory last year-and have had all week to prepare for this game.
The mentality of concentrating on their opponent as a whole, and not just Finnerty, should also help keep the Blue Devils from getting caught up in the emotions associated with playing against their former teammate.
"Its Duke vs. Loyola. It's not Duke vs. Collin Finnerty," John Danowski said. "Everybody loves him and everybody wants to see him be successful certainly in everything that he does-except hopefully he doesn't score too many goals against us."
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