2009 NCAA Semifinalists Duke Lacrosse Over the Years
2009 NCAA Semifinalists Duke Lacrosse Over the Years
2009 NCAA Semifinalists Duke Lacrosse Over the Years
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Joe Kirmser<br />
1997 ACC Champions<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>Lacrosse</strong> <strong>Over</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Years</strong><br />
while midfielder Matt Ogelsby was named third team<br />
All-America. Thomson received honorable mention All-<br />
America honors, and Pressler was chosen as a head coach<br />
for <strong>the</strong> North-South Game.<br />
The 1994 season saw <strong>the</strong> Blue Devils accomplish many<br />
firsts for <strong>the</strong> program. The Blue Devils charted <strong>the</strong>ir first<br />
<strong>NCAA</strong> Tournament win, hosted an <strong>NCAA</strong> Tournament<br />
game for <strong>the</strong> first time, achieved <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>n-highest ranking<br />
in <strong>the</strong> history of <strong>the</strong> program (No.7), defeated a team<br />
ranked No.2 in <strong>the</strong> nation and beat ACC rival Maryland<br />
at home for <strong>the</strong> first time since 1954.<br />
This season of firsts brought <strong>the</strong> Blue Devils a trip to<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>NCAA</strong> Quarterfinals where <strong>the</strong>y lost to No. 1 Syracuse,<br />
12-11. <strong>Duke</strong> finished <strong>the</strong> year with a record of 10-6 and<br />
a hunger to continue its success into 1995. Three Blue<br />
Devils earned All-America honors, including juniors Scott<br />
Harrison and Matt Ogelsby, along with senior Joe Proud. In<br />
addition, Ken Fasanaro, Mike Clayton and Chris Affolter<br />
were selected to play in <strong>the</strong> North-South Game.<br />
That hunger did carry on, as <strong>Duke</strong> enjoyed an<br />
outstanding season in 1995. <strong>Duke</strong> finished with a 12-4<br />
record, and set a school mark for <strong>the</strong> highest ranking, No.4.<br />
Most notably, <strong>Duke</strong> won its first ever ACC Tournament<br />
title and became <strong>the</strong> first number-four seed to win <strong>the</strong><br />
ACC Championship by defeating North Carolina, 14-6, in<br />
<strong>the</strong> final in Chapel Hill. The Blue Devils advanced to <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>NCAA</strong> Tournament for <strong>the</strong> second consecutive season and<br />
laid claim to four All-ACC and five All-America accolades.<br />
Midfielder Matt Ogelsby earned first team All-America<br />
honors and was selected 1995 ACC Player of <strong>the</strong> Year,<br />
<strong>the</strong> first in school history.<br />
After those seniors departed from <strong>the</strong> 1995<br />
Championship team, <strong>Duke</strong> was left with a ra<strong>the</strong>r young<br />
squad in 1996. The Blue Devils came away with an even 6-6<br />
record and several individuals earned impressive accolades.<br />
Tyler Hardy was named William F. Schmeisser Division<br />
I Defensive Player of <strong>the</strong> Year and Scott Diggs garnered<br />
ACC Rookie of <strong>the</strong> Year honors – both <strong>the</strong> first awards<br />
of <strong>the</strong>ir kind at <strong>Duke</strong>.<br />
The 1997 Pressler team featured 13 seniors who guided<br />
<strong>the</strong> Blue Devils to what may have been <strong>the</strong> best season in<br />
<strong>the</strong> history of lacrosse at <strong>Duke</strong>. The Blue Devils advanced<br />
to <strong>the</strong> <strong>NCAA</strong> Final Four for <strong>the</strong> first time in school history<br />
and tied <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>n-school record for most wins in a season<br />
with a 12-4 mark. In addition, <strong>the</strong> Blue Devils finished<br />
<strong>the</strong> season ranked fifth in <strong>the</strong> nation and won two <strong>NCAA</strong><br />
Tournament games, <strong>the</strong> most in school history. A record<br />
seven Blue Devils earned All-America honors, including<br />
two first team selections in Jim Gonnella and David Stilley.<br />
Gonnella earned Division I Midfielder of <strong>the</strong> Year honors,<br />
<strong>the</strong> first award of its kind in <strong>the</strong> history of <strong>Duke</strong> lacrosse.<br />
The Blue Devils also had a school-record five players<br />
named to <strong>the</strong> All-ACC team. The 1997 team brought<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> to a new plateau of success, setting a precedent for<br />
future teams to follow.<br />
The 1998 squad, while it fell just three goals short of<br />
a return trip to <strong>the</strong> Final Four, was successful in its own<br />
right. The Blue Devils won 11 games, culminating in an<br />
11-9 loss to eventual national champion Princeton in <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>NCAA</strong> Quarterfinals. Three Blue Devils earned All-ACC<br />
honors while four players were named to All-America<br />
teams. Headlining <strong>the</strong> squad were senior John Fay, a<br />
second team All-America who finished his <strong>Duke</strong> career<br />
ranked third all-time in career goals with 150, and Scott<br />
Diggs, a junior who was named first team All-America<br />
midfielder.<br />
The 1999 squad set numerous school records while<br />
advancing to <strong>the</strong> <strong>NCAA</strong> Quarterfinals for <strong>the</strong> fourth time<br />
in program history. The Blue Devils set a school-record 13<br />
wins, posted a new school-record winning streak with a 9-0<br />
start to <strong>the</strong> year, defeated all three conference opponents<br />
during <strong>the</strong> season, reached its highest ranking of No. 2<br />
nationally and boasted eight All-America selections, <strong>the</strong><br />
most ever in a season. Juniors Stephen Card and Nick<br />
Hartofilis earned first and second team honors respectively,<br />
while Scott Diggs, Jared Frood and Tim Knowles were<br />
named to <strong>the</strong> third team.<br />
In 2000, <strong>the</strong> Blue Devils went 11-5 and advanced to <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>NCAA</strong> Quarterfinals, with Stephen Card, T.J. Durnan and<br />
Nick Hartofilis garnering All-ACC honors. In addition,<br />
<strong>the</strong> trio was joined by senior Jared Frood in earning All-<br />
America accolades. Card became just <strong>the</strong> second Blue<br />
Devil to be named first team All-America in two different<br />
seasons, joining Charles Gilfillan who turned <strong>the</strong> trick<br />
in 1948 and 1951. Both Card and Hartofilis represented<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> in <strong>the</strong> North-South All-Star Game.<br />
In 2000, seven former <strong>Duke</strong> players were selected in<br />
<strong>the</strong> first Major League <strong>Lacrosse</strong> draft.<br />
Gonnella was named one of 18 “Assigned Players” and<br />
played with <strong>the</strong> Fairfield, Conn., franchise. O<strong>the</strong>r former<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> players taken in <strong>the</strong> draft were Card (6th round,<br />
31st overall, Rochester), Nick Hartofilis (6th round, 33rd<br />
overall, Baltimore), Stilley (11th round, 65th overall, New<br />
Jersey), Frood (13th round, 73rd overall, Connecticut),<br />
John Fay (14th round, 79th overall, Rochester) and Ed<br />
Fay (16th round, 91st overall, Rochester).<br />
The 2001 <strong>Duke</strong> team returned <strong>the</strong> Blue Devils to <strong>the</strong><br />
top of <strong>the</strong> ACC, winning <strong>the</strong> school’s third league title<br />
in men’s lacrosse. <strong>Duke</strong> defeated North Carolina in <strong>the</strong><br />
semifinals and Maryland, 10-6, in <strong>the</strong> championship game<br />
as Bross earned Tournament MVP honors. The Blue Devils<br />
finished <strong>the</strong> year with an 11-6 overall record and advanced<br />
to <strong>the</strong> postseason for <strong>the</strong> eighth time under Pressler.<br />
Cassese was named second team All-America and<br />
became just <strong>the</strong> second player in school history to garner<br />
ACC Player of <strong>the</strong> Year honors. Bross, Chris Hartofilis<br />
and Stuart Schwartz also earned honorable mention All-<br />
America accolades.<br />
In 2002, <strong>the</strong> Blue Devils won <strong>the</strong>ir second straight<br />
ACC Tournament behind tourney MVP A.J. Kincel. In<br />
<strong>the</strong> championship game, Terrence Keaney scored two goals<br />
in <strong>the</strong> final two minutes to lift <strong>the</strong> Blue Devils past number<br />
one-ranked Virginia, 14-13. <strong>Duke</strong> finished <strong>the</strong> year 8-7<br />
and fell in <strong>the</strong> <strong>NCAA</strong>s to eventual national champion<br />
Syracuse. Cassese, a first team All-America, was named<br />
<strong>the</strong> national midfielder of <strong>the</strong> year.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> summer of 2002, Pressler served as an assistant<br />
coach for Team USA which won <strong>the</strong> gold medal at <strong>the</strong><br />
2002 <strong>Lacrosse</strong> World Championships in Perth, Australia.<br />
Also, three players with <strong>Duke</strong> ties were named to <strong>the</strong> U.S.<br />
National Team — Bross, Cassese and Knowles.<br />
<strong>Duke</strong>’s 2003 team went 8-7 and made its third<br />
straight appearance in <strong>the</strong> ACC title game where it fell to<br />
eventual <strong>NCAA</strong> champion Virginia. Cassese closed out<br />
an outstanding career by becoming just <strong>the</strong> third <strong>Duke</strong><br />
player ever to receive First Team All-America honors<br />
in two seasons. In addition, Cassese (118 points) and<br />
fellow captain Kevin Brennan (122 points) finished <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
respective careers ranking 24th and 22nd, respectively, on<br />
<strong>Duke</strong>’s all-time scoring list.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> summer of 2003, six future <strong>Duke</strong> teammates —<br />
Matt Danowski, Kyle Dowd, Peter Lamade, Glenn Nick,<br />
Bret Thompson and Matt Zash — led <strong>the</strong> United States<br />
Under-19 team to <strong>the</strong> World Championship. In addition,<br />
Zack Greer helped Canada to <strong>the</strong> championship game and<br />
was named to <strong>the</strong> All-World Team.<br />
While <strong>the</strong> 2004 Blue Devils compiled a 5-8 mark, <strong>the</strong><br />
future of <strong>Duke</strong> lacrosse rose to <strong>the</strong> forefront. Danowski<br />
and Zash received honorable mention All-America<br />
recognition while Lamade was <strong>the</strong> lone rookie tabbed to<br />
<strong>the</strong> All-ACC squad.<br />
40 Seven-time ACC Champions <strong>2009</strong> <strong>NCAA</strong> <strong>Semifinalists</strong>