May 22, 2008

by Matt DaSilva, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

The Duke men's lacrosse team has lost exactly twice in the last 360 days - to Johns Hopkins, its NCAA Division I semifinal opponent Saturday, in the 2007 championship game, and to Georgetown during the 2008 regular season.

Both times, Matt Danowski and Zack Greer, the record-setting duo over which the lacrosse community salivates, struggled against defensive schemes tailored to curtail them.

Few have forgotten the iconic image of Danowski following the 2007 championship game, the eye-black steaming from his cheekbones, embracing Hopkins' Brendan Skakandi in defeat. And no one will soon forget how Georgetown's Jerry Lambe celebrated up and down Multi-Sport Field in Washington, D.C., on March 22 of this year.

Could the answer to stopping Danowski and Duke, then, be buried somewhere underneath Farmingdale High School, like some national treasure only Nicholas Cage or Harrison Ford could uncover? Are his former teammates the only ones privy to the book on Danowski?

Like Skakandi and Lambe, Syracuse faceoff specialist Danny Brennan played alongside Danowski in high school. Lucky for Duke, should it beat the Blue Jays and face `Cuse (over Virginia) for the national championship, facing off is about the only thing Danowski does not do.

Former Dalers are like kryptonite to Danowski's superhuman game, apparently.

Asked of his scheme to upset the same Blue Devils who went otherwise unchallenged en route to Saturday's game in Foxboro, Mass., Georgetown head coach Dave Urick joked, "I wish the NCAA lacrosse committee would've taken a harder look at that." (The Hoyas did not qualify for the NCAA tournament.) "A big part of that was Jerry Lambe being able to match up with Matt Danowski. For Jerry, they were high school teammates. He knew him really well. He takes a lot of pride and preparation mentally and physically when he matches up against Matt."

Not to mention an out-of-body performance by Georgetown goalkeeper Miles Kass, who made 18 saves in the 11-7 victory. It was the only time Duke scored fewer than 10 goals this season.

"Whatever happens in the game, if Hopkins is going to beat Duke, their goalie [Michael Gvozden] is going to have to have a very good day," Urick said. "A kid gets hot for two days, he could be a difference maker."

Gvozden's predecessor, Jesse Schwartzman, had a habit of getting hot against Duke when it counted most - evidenced by two NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player awards in 2005 and 2007, both years which ended in championship game victories over the Blue Devils.

Gvozden, a sophomore, has been consistent, if unspectacular. Against Duke, Urick said, he must be spectacular.

"We're coming back from one of our games during the NCAA basketball tournament. We couldn't get any of those games on TV, but we could get the Duke-Hopkins game," he said of the Blue Devils' 17-6 victory over the Blue Jays on April 5. "For a half, it was a very good game, like you could expect. Then in the second half, they got on a roll. That's a helpless feeling from the sidelines."

Another well-documented reason for Hopkins' success against Duke this time last year: faceoffs. But the Blue Devils have improved significantly at the `X' in the last 360 days. Duke has found its answer in Sam Payton, who has won over 60 percent of faceoffs this season, including 10 of 15 against Hopkins.

Head coach John Danowski credited Duke's about face there to assistant coach Ron Caputo.

"We've gotten better at the draw because Sam Payton has taken more, and Ronny Caputo has done a marvelous job with faceoff men," he said. "Every faceoff guy cheats - whether they pinch their sticks, time a referee's cadence and roll into a guy, grab a guy's stick and actually grab the ball. It's clutching, grabbing, moves and countermoves. I think Ron has taught our guys the subtleties and nuances of when guys do things, what countermoves can be or how you need to talk to the official. It's really kind of an amazing event in our sport, hard to explain."

Urick explained Duke's faceoffs as such: "They get their share of faceoffs, and they're the type of team that can make you look really bad."

If Hopkins can bite ankles there, get a career game from Gvozden in the cage and conjure a reincarnation of Jerry Lambe, the Blue Jays win. It's as simple as that, right?

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Scouting Duke

More from Urick on Hopkins-Duke:

"Interestingly enough, they say Danowski is capable from creating anywhere on the field, but they don't hesitate to let him operate in front of the goal, as well..." >br>
"I'd hesitate to get into a track meet with Duke, that's for sure..."

"You need to challenge [Duke's defense] at the appropriate times. Pace of game becomes a factor. One of the things Hopkins has got to be aware of is those Duke defensive guys are awfully good in transition. They won't hesitate to create coming from their end of the field. They'll send two poles over, with neither one thinking of coming back right away. There's a mindset there to attack."

"Duke is going to have to deal with one of the best players in the country, as well. As good a player as Danowski, Greer and [Max] Quinzani are, [Paul] Rabil is every bit the player those guys are."

"I suspect that Hopkins is going to be a little tougher for Duke this time around."

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Syracuse brothers cope with tragedy

Late Tuesday, 21-year-old Aaron Guadagnolo, whose brothers Kyle and Thomas are members of the NCAA semifinal-bound Syracuse men's lacrosse team, was killed in a motorcycle crash in Elbridge, N.Y., the family's hometown.

In a statement released by the university Wednesday, head coach John Desko said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with Kyle, Thomas and the whole Guadagnolo family. In situations like this lacrosse takes a back seat. As a team, we are going to rally around them and support them any way we can.

"Aaron was a fun-loving young man and a pleasure to be around. He will be missed."

Assistant director of athletic communications Mike Morrison said the team expects both players to be available Saturday against Virginia, but was unsure whether they would make it to Foxboro with the rest of the team Thursday or rejoin teammates for practice Friday.