2010 NCAA Lacrosse Finals: Duke Wins First-Ever Title, Tops Notre Dame 6-5 In OT

Duke spent the last decade as college lacrosse’s version of the 90’s Houston Oilers. They always seemed to be among the best teams all season, they always seemed to be a top seed in the playoffs and yet they never won anything.

Now, Duke has broken through.

With a goal in the first minute of OT—the first five seconds, to be extact—the Duke Blue Devils won their first-ever National Championship. It was a close game throughout, as John Danowski said afterward, “Notre Dame was phenomenal. [Star goalie] Scott Rogers was... As [good as] advertised.” And indeed, Notre Dame shocked the masses not just by reaching the title game, but competing with Duke once they got there.

But in the end, the Blue Devils were too much.

In Baltimore for this afternoon’s lacrosse National Title game, it’s hot. Like, really hot. Like, 144 degrees on the field. So, given the heat, Notre Dame’s Navy Blue uniforms certainly won’t help. As Pete Thamel reports for the New York Times:

It obviously won’t decide the game, but in a close matchup, every edge counts. And with a field temperature rumored at 144 degrees… Well, those sound like pretty extreme conditions. Would you rather be wearing navy blue or white?

Looking for a cliffs notes guide to understanding this afternoon’s NCAA final? Patrick Stevens’ D1scourse blog has got you covered. Below, three of five storylines that Stevens thinks will decide the final:

For more, head on over to D1scourse to see Stevens’ full take on today’s action.

After a thrilling upset of no. 1-ranked UVA in the National Semifinals, the Duke Blue Devils will face Notre Dame this afternoon for the chance to claim their first-ever National Championship in NCAA Lacrosse. But of course, the Irish are fighting for the same thing--after upsetting Cornell on Saturday night, the Irish have a shot to win a first National Championship of their own.

Indeed, while neither squad was expected to make it this far, Notre Dame is the underdog here. Duke’s been a longstanding powerhouse in Division 1 lacrosse, while Notre Dame’s never been considered a member of the sport’s true elite. But today, they’re both equals. Two college programs that have never won a Title. By the end of the day, that’ll change.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 7 Cornell breathed a sigh of relief when Army upset No. 2 Syracuse last weekend. They took advantage of the opportunity by throttling the Black Knights 14-5. It’s Cornell’s third trip to the Final Four in four years and they’ll look to take home the title they came so close to winning last year.

They’ll have to get past Notre Dame first. The unseeded Irish were considered a controversial pick when they were added to the tournament. They’ve taken the opportunity to prove their worth and then some. They followed up their win over No. 6 Princeton with a 7-5 slugfest win over No. 3 Maryland. It’s Notre Dame’s first trip to the Final Four since 2001.

It’s tough to find sympathy for Syracuse lacrosse after their 9-8 double OT loss to Army on Sunday. The two-time defending National Champions have been to the Final Four so often, there isn’t a school out there who isn’t happy to see their “spot” open up for someone else.For Syracuse fans, it’s a strange feeling. Certainly very few of them expected to loss this weekend, let alone before the Final Four.

Patrick Stevens over at D1SCOURCE says that the Army-Syracuse upset ranks as the No. 2 upset of all time, just behind Johns Hopkins win over Maryland in the ’87 Final Four.

Since the early 80’s, an investment is a Final Four ticket was about as sure a thing as a Syracuse lacrosse fan could make. The Orange made the Final Four 22-straight years between 1983 and 2005 and had only missed the Final Four twice since ’83. Despite being the No. 2 seed this year, Syracuse will miss out on the Final Four for the third time in the last six years after losing 9-8 in double overtime to unseeded Army.

No. 1 Virginia, in their first game since the Yeardley Love tragedy, got back to what they do best…dominating on the field. They beat over-matched Mount Saint Mary 18-4 and moved on the 2nd round. With the Orange out and proof that their heads are in the game, the Cavs are once again the clear favorite to win the tournament.