Tonight under the lights at Harvard Stadium, the No. 14 Harvard men’s lacrosse team (5-2, 1-1 Ivy) looks to close out its non-league schedule and head into the remainder of Ivy League play with a win against perennial powerhouse No. 7 Duke.

To the Crimson, the contest represents much more than just another non-conference matchup—it’s a pivotal moment in the process of bringing the team to the forefront of the lacrosse world.

“When I took the job three years ago, I was really exited about the potential this program had,” Harvard coach John Tillman said. “One of the visions I had was to try to make Harvard one of the flagship schools for lacrosse in New England.”

Standing in the way are the Blue Devils (7-3, 0-2 ACC), who aim to avenge last year’s upset at the hands of the Crimson—Duke’s first loss to Harvard since 2001.

“That’s last year,” Blue Devil coach John Danowski said. “You have to move on, and many times, losses help you.”

Although neither team is focusing on last season’s upset, both squads have had tonight’s game circled on their calendars all year.

“All semester, the kids were talking about how much the campus was abuzz about the Duke game, that people were excited,” Tillman said. “I think it’s really exciting for everyone around our program.”

The Blue Devils, coming off of a 11-10 win over Brown on Tuesday, now turn their full attention to the midseason test.

“Our focus right now is playing this very talented Harvard team,” Danowski said.

Tillman hopes that the historic venue and likely record-breaking crowd will make this game unlike any other in Harvard lacrosse history.

“When you walk into Harvard Stadium and play in a great venue like that, under the lights and in front of a terrific crowd, that’s going to present some motivation on both sides.”

The young Crimson team will need to focus on channelling its surplus of energy to compete with an experienced opponent like Duke.

“Everyone is going to be really excited,” said Harvard sophomore attack Jeff Cohen. “It’ll be really important for us to manage those emotions, use the excitement and [not] get nervous. Just play with passion and energy and be excited.”

Danowski, on the other hand, is confident that his team can handle the big stage.

“We’re used to playing in big stadiums,” Danowski said. “This is something we look forward to; it adds a lot of excitement and a lot of fun to the game.”