Duke vs Virginia ACC Lacrosse Tournament post game quotes

Posted Sunday, April 29, 2007

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Durham, NC - Quotes from the press conference following the Duke Blue Devil's 12-9 win over the Virginia Cavaliers in the 2007 ACC Lacrosse Tournament game. This is Duke's fourth ACC Men's Lacrosse Tournament championship.

Duke Head Coach John Danowski

On Duke’s sloppy win last week:
“I think offensively we’ve gotten better. It’s hard to tell what happened there. That was the week after dismissal on Wednesday, so you can’t tell exactly what was happening. The guys could probably answer those questions better than I could. But, I thought that today was just a heck of a Division I event. With 13,000 people being here over the past two days; that was just phenomenal. I thought this was great lacrosse.”

On improvement:
“We’re getting there. I think we’re making strides. We’re picking up the little nuances that we like to teach. I still believe we’re going to get better. I believe they’re still adjusting to our expectations and what it is that we like to see them do, but I think we’re certainly improving each week.”

Senior Attackman Matt Danowski

On Duke’s run in the third quarter:
“Actually we were just talking about it. We didn’t realize that they had seven goals in that quarter. I think we got them in a lot of different ways; there was one at the face-off when Max [Quinzani] comes up, hits the stick, and Zack [Greer] finds me. We want to get the ball to the ground, and make it a transition game and try to use our athleticism. We pride ourselves on that, and coach says, ‘You’re a good ground ball team, and you’re tough on the ground and tough to beat.’ I think we’ve kind of really taken to that.”

On Dan Loftus’ performance:
“We’re kind of spoiled at this point because we kind of expect it. Every week it seems that he gets better. He made some unbelievable one-on-one stops today. When our goalie’s playing hot like that, it makes our whole team relax and makes us play better. I thought that he did a good job in front of him, but he made a couple of saves that were just pretty ridiculous. When he’s playing like that we’re a tough team to beat. Hopefully he keeps it going.”

Senior Goalkeeper Dan Loftus

On his performance today:
“It’s just one of those days that you’re just seeing the ball really well. I mean you’ve got to give them credit; they stuck some shots in today, but I was just seeing the ball well and I reacted well. During the game, my body just felt really good today, I felt really quick, and I was just seeing it well today.”

Junior Attackman Zack Greer

On coverage on Matt Danowski opening up the field:
“I think we’ve seen that all year. Teams have to be on him or he’s going to score again, and today, I’m not sure how many points he had today, but again, he draws so much attention that it opens it up for everybody else. Our midfielders especially have gotten so much better over the last couple of weeks. A bunch of guys stepped up and scored two goals, so when Matt’s drawing attention like that, they’re so conscious about what he’s doing that it opens up room for other guys. There are all these people that are starting to put the ball in the net.”

On attacking the net after a shot:
“It’s something you can’t really work on you’ve just got to know and react when it happens. We do a good job of that, and I think when a ball’s popping out like that you’ve just got to be aware and know your surroundings and where everybody else is before it happens, and then it’ll give you that extra step into picking it up and throwing it in the net.”

Sophomore Midfielder Mike Catalino

On the seniors:
“I want to give credit to the seniors. Our seniors, every single one of them, are just filled with passion. They want it so bad. They want everything so bad that they just want to go out there and play. It’s getting to this game that is the biggest part; once you’re here you just play. You just play, and the seniors have told us over and over again, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ They’ve showed great leadership through all of this Matt [Danowski], Dan [Loftus], and a lot of the guys.”

Virginia Head Coach Dom Starsia

On the game as a whole:
“I thought it was a great lacrosse game. I thought both teams went after each other the whole time. We played hard for the whole 60 minutes; the game got a way from us a little bit in the third quarter, clearing the ball. They’re so dangerous in the middle of the field; we failed to clear it a couple times, and they just turned it over into offensive opportunities. They almost always cashed in on it; they’re exceptionally good close to the cage. I thought overall they were a little sharper than we were shooting the ball, and I thought we had a number of good opportunities that we didn’t cash in on, but I’m really proud of the effort of my team overall. It’s probably as well as we’ve played in some period of time and I think it’s a team that’s going to continue to get better.”

On Duke’s run in the third quarter:
“I thought we were ready to start the third quarter, and our failure to clear at times is as much a product of their athleticism and their effort on their attack riding. Their attack riding is very good. They keep their players on the field. For teams that want to play the transition game like we do, like they do, you keep your midfielders out there, and they do. It’s a chore getting the ball up and out sometimes. Like I say, they’re especially dangerous when they do create those turnovers in the middle of the field, turning them over into great offensive opportunities. They did a better job of that than we did when we had similar kinds of opportunities. This has been a game where you go back and examine every little thing so closely, still it’s a close lacrosse game with a goal here or there it might turn the other way. I thought it was a great game up and down the field.”

Senior Goalkeeper Kip Turner

On defending against Duke:
“They’re really good at getting behind you with their attackmen, and they’re very quick with their sticks. That makes it tough to defend, and also with riding they’re really good.”

On defending Matt Danowski:
“He’s a good passer, a good shooter, and good dodger, so he’s got a complete game.”

Senior Defender Ricky Smith

On defending Matt Danowski:
“He’s most dangerous like coach was saying on the unsettled stuff, and that’s why he was able to create a lot of opportunities to get points today. He’s always looking for someone.”

Junior Attackman Ben Rubeor

On the ACC experience:
“I think this was a good opportunity for us. I think, like coach said, we took a step in the right direction today. I think for two weeks it will give us a great opportunity to continue to improve and get much better.”

On today’s loss:
“I wasn’t necessarily frustrated. I was happy with our effort today; I thought we played hard. I try and take every little thing I can as motivation, and I would have liked to been out there holding that trophy.”