Weird.
It's the first word that comes to mind when fifth-year lacrosse midfielder Peter Lamade anticipates this weekend's game against his alma mater, Duke.
"It is going to be very, very weird," Lamade said. "This is the only time [Duke] will face a former teammate this year and I think that's where a lot of the strangeness comes from."
Joining the Cavaliers for the 2008 season after graduating from Duke last May, Lamade chose to use his fifth year of NCAA eligibility at Virginia while pursuing a graduate degree.
Lamade was no stranger to Virginia before his arrival, though. His older brother, Ted Lamade, served as a team captain of the 2004 Virginia men's lacrosse team and was also a midfielder.
Somewhat ironically, Ted Lamade chose to use his fifth year of eligibility at Georgetown to attend that school's International Affairs masters program. Understanding the importance of his players' academic careers, Virginia coach Dom Starsia gave Ted Lamade his blessing four years ago and has since welcomed Peter Lamade with open arms.
As a Blue Devil, Lamade was a four-year starter and Inside Lacrosse magazine recently ranked him as the nation's No. 28 player. In the Cavalier uniform, he filled the gap on attack while senior Ben Rubeor was injured at the beginning of the season. With Rubeor back on the field, Lamade has since returned to his usual midfield position and plays an important role for Virginia in the middle.
Thus far, he has tallied six goals and eight assists. More importantly, however, Lamade is the kind of experienced player of whom Starsia admits he has too few out on the field. The same poise Lamade shows on the field is expected to carry him through Saturday's unusual circumstances.
"Peter will handle this situation as well as anyone could possibly handle it because that's the kind of guy he is," Starsia said. "I am sure all of his Duke friends are going to take a shot at him during the game but I don't think anyone will hold ill feelings towards him -- it was such a complicated situation for everyone involved."
While Lamade, a graduate of the Landon School, has faced former high school teammates on nearly a weekly basis, playing against an entire team he was a member of less than a year ago is an entirely different situation.
"So many guys go on from Landon that playing them is something you get used to," Lamade said. "This is like one against 30 guys that I played with not that long ago. When I see them coming out of the locker room, I won't know whether to hug them or to not say anything until after the game. I guess I'll just figure it out when it happens."
Lamade expressed relief that the contest is being played at Klöckner Stadium . He certainly expects some heckling by Duke fans but anticipates most of the taunting to come from friend and Duke senior defenseman Nick O'Hara.
The Cavaliers consider Lamade one of them, and some have even admitted they had forgotten about his Blue Devil roots until he gave them a few insights in practice. Nevertheless, everyone appreciates the unique circumstances Saturday presents, and no one is trying to take advantage of Lamade's position.
"I am not going to sit down with Peter [Lamade] and ask him to give me all of Duke's secrets," Starsia said. "I am not going to put him in that awkward position of asking for that information. Saturday will be hard enough without my adding to it"
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