A Lacrosse Primer

Questions and answers about the game, Duke's program

What's the history of the sport?

Lacrosse, considered the oldest sport in North America, is believed to date to the 1400s.

In the 1600s, Native Americans were seen by French missionaries playing a form of the game.

In 1877, Manhattan College and New York University played the first collegiate lacrosse match. The first NCAA lacrosse championship was played in 1971.

How is the game played?

There are 10 players on each team: a goalkeeper, three defensemen, three midfielders and three attackmen.

Each team must keep at least four players, including the goalie, on the defensive half of the field and three on the offensive half. Only the midfielders can roam the length of the playing field, which is 110 yards long and 60 yards wide.

The team with the most goals at the end of the 60-minute game is the winner.

The players, who wear helmets, shoulder pads and arm pads, carry the 5-ounce hard-rubber ball in the pocket at the end of a stick. Only the goalie is allowed to touch the ball with his hands. Players shoot the ball into the opponent's goal, which is six feet wide and six feet high.

Which ACC schools play lacrosse?

Four ACC schools have men's lacrosse programs: Duke, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.

The four schools also have women's lacrosse teams, as do ACC members Boston College and Virginia Tech.

How good is Duke's men's program?

The Blue Devils have become one of the nation's elite programs under coach Mike Pressler. They reached their first NCAA Final Four in 1997.

Last season, Duke, with an NCAA-record 17 wins, led the nation in scoring and reached the NCAA championship game before losing to Johns Hopkins.

Duke was ranked No. 2 in the 2006 preseason national poll behind Johns Hopkins.

What is the coach's background?

Pressler, 46, is in his 16th season as Duke's men's coach.

A 1982 graduate of Washington & Lee, he arrived at Duke from Ohio Wesleyan, a Division III school. He has a 153-82 record at Duke, including this year's 6-2 mark.

He was chosen the 2005 national coach of the year by the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.

Where do Duke's players come from?

Of the 47 players listed on the Duke roster, 17 are from the state of New York, nine from Maryland and seven from New Jersey. Those three states are lacrosse hotbeds with strong high school programs. Duke has one player from North Carolina.

How good is this year's team?

With nine starters and 27 lettermen returning from the 2005 team, the Blue Devils are experienced. Matt Danowski and Matt Zash were first-team All-America selections last season.

Five Duke players were on the preseason watch list for the 2006 Tewaaraton Trophy, given to the nation's top player. They were Danowski, Zash, Zack Greer, Tony McDevitt and Nick O'Hara.

Where does Duke play home games?

Duke's men's and women's teams compete at Koskinen Stadium, which opened in 1999 on West Campus. The facility can seat up to 6,500 fans and underwent a $2.3 million renovation in 2004, with all of the funds raised through private donations. The field also is used by Duke's soccer teams.

How much is invested?

Duke awards the equivalent of 12.6 scholarships, the NCAA maximum for lacrosse. At $42,000 per scholarship, that's $529,200. The scholarships are divided among 27 players.

In 2004-2005, Duke had operating expenses of $240,001 for the men's lacrosse team, according to the school's Equity in Athletics report filed with the U.S. Department of Education.

What is the outlook?

A tough question to answer. Duke has suspended all further play until there is "a clearer legal resolution" to the police investigation into allegations of a sexual assault of a woman hired as a private dancer for a March 13 party attended by team members.

Duke canceled games against Georgetown and Mount St. Mary's. If the Blue Devils do not play a minimum of 10 games this season, they will not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Athletics director Joe Alleva said Pressler's job status would be evaluated at the end of the season.

"This has been a shock to everybody in lacrosse," said John Spring, executive director of the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. "Serious allegations have been made, and no one condones what is alleged to have occurred. It's hard to say what may happen to the program. They may lose some players. They may have some players end up with some form on punishment. But I think the program will rebound. It's too good a school."

(Duke University, NCAA; Compiled by Chip Alexander)