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Duke

Duke lacrosse seeking another Final Four

May 18, 2012

Durham, N.C. — The Duke lacrosse team has made the Final Four every year since 2006 - the infamous year when their season was cancelled. A win Sunday against Colgate will put the Blue Devils back in the Final Four yet again and stable leadership has had a lot to do with the run.

John Danowski has been coaching a lacrosse powerhouse at Duke since he arrived in 2007. He compiled 219 wins in 23 years combined at C.W. Post and Hoftsra before coming to Durham where he has added 94 victories in just five seasons. More Info     More Duke Stories

"I think the foundation was laid for sure in 2007 and 2008,” Danowski said. “We came up short by a goal in the (2007) championship game, but they really set the standard for behavior and set the standard for what a Duke lacrosse player is."

This group has seen nothing but success, including the program's first national title in 2010. Duke has a 19-4 record in the month of May since 2007 and is one win shy of reaching the 15-win mark in a season for the fifth time under Danowski.

"I kind of get butterflies when I think about that,” said sophomore attacker Josh Dionne. “I want that feeling."

After a win last week against perennial power Syracuse, the Devils will head to Philly to play high-scoring Colgate in Sunday's quarterfinals. Colgate beat undefeated UMass last weekend and sports a 14-3 record on the season while boasting the nation’s second best offense (13.53 goals per game)

"The way we're going into the game is that Colgate had beaten Maryland by two, and we beat Maryland by one in the ACC semis,” Danowski said. “So we kind of look at it like we're an underdog."

That's one way to look at it. Actually, Duke will be the favorite to beat Colgate, but maybe not after that.

All four of the Devils' regular season losses have come against schools still alive in the NCAA Tournament – Denver, Loyola (Md.), Maryland and Notre Dame.

"Even though we lost to those four teams, (three) happened early in the season,” Dionne said. “We play our best ball going into the playoffs."

While the shot at redemption may come down the line, Duke players are excited to play Colgate. The Devils and Raiders have not met since 2009 (Duke won 9-8) and they two programs have only collided nine times ever.

"It's cool to play teams you've played before, but at the same time, it's awesome to play a Colgate team we (haven’t) played before,” said senior midfielder Justin Turri. “It's a new challenge."

What's not a new challenge, playing in the quarterfinals. The Devils have won six straight final eight round games and shouldn't be intimidated by the big stage.

"This season, we've played in three NFL stadiums,” Dionne said. “We've played in front of sold-out crowds at Virginia. We're used to everything now."

Sunday’s game time is set for 2:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNU.

• Reporter: Jason Jennings
• Web Editor: Aaron Schoonmaker