DURHAM, N.C. – As the national anthem came to an end and the players took the field, the fans stood in ovation.

The game had yet to start – the season had yet to start. But the fact that 10 players wearing Duke lacrosse uniforms were about to take the field for the first time in 11 months was enough for the home crowd to give their team a thunderous applause.

During the course of the past 11 months, the Duke men’s lacrosse team has been faced with an endless swirl of tribulations, scrutiny and a media circus. Tonight in College Park, the Blue Devils will play their first road game since the scandal, and even with the dismissal of the rape allegations that started the controversy, the team remains on the national scene. More than 60 media credentials were issued for their first game, last Saturday against Dartmouth. Now, the Blue Devils must begin anew: new coaches, new teammates, new pressures.

As a theme to the season, the Blue Devils have adopted the Latin phrase “succisa virescit,” meaning “when cut down, it grows back stronger.” The phrase was taken from the motto of Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J., the high school of three current Duke players and Reade Seligmann, one of the three former players who were accused.

The axe blow has landed. Now new head coach John Danowski and his team have the difficult task of rebuilding a program that was in the midst of securing itself as a true national power. But, despite the media pressure and national audience, Danowski has not allowed himself or his players to lose focus on his objectives: playing lacrosse and having fun.

“He’s been great so far,” senior captain Ed Douglas said. “I’ve been really impressed with the way he’s built up relationships of trust between coaches and players. That’s extremely important for a team. He just focuses on the basics, getting back and enjoying the game – not trying to prove anyone wrong, but just trying to have fun out there.”

Danowski came to Duke after 21 seasons as Hofstra’s head coach. In doing so, he left a comfortable job with an up-and-coming program that he had essentially built for a program undergoing one of the largest scandals in collegiate sports history.

Danowski was in an unusual position last spring while at Hofstra. His son, Matt Danowski, is a star attackman and senior captain for the Blue Devils. John Danowski was forced to watch from the outside as the media scrutinized his son’s team, while trying to remain aloof from his position as an opposing coach.

“The hardest part of the whole spring was not so much that it’s really hurtful when you see your child upset, but all of a sudden they’re questioning his character,” John Danowski said. “And that was very difficult for all of us. And we believed in him from the beginning and believed what he had to say to us, so I was never worried. But still, that was a very painful part of the spring.”

With their integrity on the line, the Duke players have had to step up on and off the field as they attempt to rebuild their public image. John Danowski is particularly proud of his team’s academic success, as 88 percent of the team had a 3.0 grade point average or better for the fall semester. The team also completed more than 515 combined hours of community service, according to John Danowski.

However, the team has yet to truly repair its public image. Since last March, members of the Duke lacrosse team have been cast as racists, sexists and irresponsible youths – images unlikely to disappear because of a few months of good behavior.

The pressure continually mounts, and although the rape allegations have been dismissed, the accused ex-players have not been cleared of all charges. John Danowski worries his team may look at the negative public image as additional pressure on them.

“They try so hard to be perfect, to dispel all the negative press that was written about them,” John Danowski said. “And now they’re trying to be unbelievable students, almost perfect on the field. And there are no perfect players … and that’s the fear as the coach, that they’re going to try too hard.”

However, the Blue Devils do come into this season with a high level of expectations. Matt Danowski and Zack Greer make up the top pair of attackmen in the country, as they combined for 107 goals in 2005, their last full season. Duke is ranked third in the nation after winning its first two games last weekend against Dartmouth and Denver.

The lofty expectations only add to the pressure level and decrease the team’s margin for error. John Danowski avoids mentioning long-term lacrosse goals with his team, but the team’s senior leadership, starting with captains Matt Danowski and Douglas, has kept the Blue Devils focused on lacrosse instead of the media circus.

“[The seniors have] kind of taken a lot of this on their backs,” Greer said. “What we’ve got to do to get to the next step is to stay focused on our goals. They’ve done a great job with the freshmen, sophomores and the whole team actually taking a leadership role. It’s been really important for our team to get where we are right now.”

Tonight, the Blue Devils will be in College Park for their first road game in two years. The two teams match up well, with Duke’s strength being on offense and the Terps being known for their defense. However, the atmosphere surrounding the game is the big question.

Terp fans are both notoriously crude and notoriously anti-Duke. And while there was no picketing for Duke’s two home games this season, the potential for protests cannot be overlooked.

Still, John Danowski believes his team can handle a little heckling and protesting.

“It’s not going to be any worse than what those students experienced last spring on campus,” Danowski said. “I just can’t believe anything will be as distracting as last spring.”

The distractions still loom for Duke lacrosse. As legal proceedings continue and the lacrosse season goes on, the pressure has mounted for John Danowski and his players. However, regardless of scrutiny or lofty expectations, there is a clear optimism surfacing on the team, one that culminates each time it takes the field.

The events of the past have given the Blue Devils a sense of clarity.

“You can’t take anything for granted,” Douglas said. “Having your season taken away really reinforces what an honor and privilege this experience is. So, in that sense, we don’t care about rankings. We just want to go out there and have fun.”

Contact reporter Adi Joseph at ajosephdbk@gmail.com.