Lacrosse final four wants focus on game
BOB LENTZ
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA - In lacrosse's season of scandal, the final four teams playing for the men's Division I title want to focus on the game.
Because of what's happened at Duke, however, that will not be easy.
Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Syracuse went through fast-paced drills Friday, snapping off passes and shots with dizzying speed at Lincoln Financial Field.
There was no talk of the sport's No. 1 topic and Duke, at the center of the storm, was never mentioned by name.
In late March, Duke officials suspended the school's highly ranked lacrosse team amid allegations that a black woman was raped by three white men at a party hosted by team members. Mike Pressler resigned as Duke's coach, and three players have been charged in the case.
"This year, people were talking about (lacrosse) for a different reason," said Dom Starsia, head coach of top-ranked and unbeaten Virginia.
Throughout the tightly knit lacrosse community, players and coaches at other schools have spent this season linked to the trouble at Duke, trying to distance themselves from it.
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