It took three years, but the Duke lacrosse team has finally overcome the 2006 scandal that brought a promising season crashing to the ground. On Monday the Duke Blue Devils became the 2010 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Champions, the first championship in school history.
In 2006 the now-discredited rape case eventually caused Duke to end their season after only eight games. After investigations cleared all members of these charges, the NCAA awarded 33 Duke players an extra year of eligibility. Those 33 built the foundation of the "post-incident" Duke lacrosse team.
A few of those players took the field Monday, and were able to end their careers with a National Championship.
The Blue Devils, whose high-powered offense came into the National Championship averaging 17.5 goals per game, were up against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, whose goalie just happened to be the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, 6-foot-4, 254 pound Scott Rodgers.
The match-up would lead to the lowest scoring game in tournament history, as regulation ended with a 5-5 tie.
It took just 5 seconds in overtime for sophomore long-pole C.J. Costabile to win the opening face-off, sprint down the field, and score the game winning goal.
“It's sick,” Costabile said about scoring the game-winning goal. “The best feeling about it is we set this goal from the beginning of the year. Guys who have been here before me, [those guys] who have been here three times before and finally seeing them walk-off that field with a big smile on their faces are the best moment about that.”
The seniors who remained on the team after the 2006 scandal walked away from the stadium hoping this victory would change the stigma the Duke lacrosse team had been branded with.
"I hope this takes over the story of Duke lacrosse," Crotty said. "Hopefully we can put everything else to rest, so when people think of Duke lacrosse, they think 2010 national champions."
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