As the last line of defense for the Dartmouth men's lacrosse team, goalkeeper Fergus Campbell '12 guards the net with a team high .639 save percentage. Campbell pulls on the experience he gathered during his freshmen year to bolster the Big Green and continues to contribute to the team's improved play this season.
Campbell recorded double-digit saves in both of his starts including a spectacular 23-save performance against perennial Ivy League powerhouse No. 6 Cornell University on April 3.
"It was one of those days," Campbell said. "I was seeing the ball really well. I want to give some credit to Drew Tunney ['12] for working with me in practice all the time in one-on-ones."
Campbell's performance led Dartmouth to its first win over the Big Red in 13 years, and subsequently he is the first Big Green goalkeeper to record over 20 saves in a single game since 2004.
The victory was Dartmouth's first win against a top-10 team since its 13-6 victory over 10th-ranked Princeton in 2008.
"We didn't feel like [the win] was an upset," Campbell said. "It has been something that we have been working towards, and it's something we knew we could do from the beginning of the year. Teams in the Ivy League aren't going to overlook us anymore. They're going to realize that we're going to be a tough game, and hopefully we'll make them nervous."
Campbell's career day was witnessed by the Big Green's largest crowd of the season, which came during the first game of the 2010 New England Lacrosse Classic. The Big Green faced off against the Big Red in front of over 6,000 spectators at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots.
"It was pretty intimidating at first it's a huge stadium, but once the game starts, you really don't notice it," Campbell said. A native New-Englander, Campbell was one of 39 players from the area to take the field that afternoon. Hailing from New Canaan, Conn., Campbell grew up in a lacrosse hotbed his town and the surrounding area pump out several Division I lacrosse players every year. Dartmouth teammates Colin Delaney '12 and Nicholas Dysenchuk '13 both attended Darien High School, New Canaan's rival.
"I played [Delaney] all four years of high school in hockey and lacrosse," Campbell said. "He rubs it in a lot that his team always beat my team."
Campbell said his main strength as a goalie is his ability to clear the ball out of the defensive end and advance the ball to the offensive players. Successful clears set up the offence's scoring opportunities and grant the defensive players time to rest.
Campbell attributes some of his clearing ability to his time also playing soccer before college.
"It helps with my vision. I'm able to see things," he said.
Campbell's early collegiate playing time provided him with an accelerated introduction to Division I lacrosse competition, he said.
The speed of play is the primary difference between high school and college lacrosse, according to Campbell, with every aspect of the game, from shooting to passing, occurs faster and with more precision, he said.
This season, Campbell's freshman adjustment is over, and he says he is looking to be a leader on the lacrosse team.
"I definitely feel more responsible this year," Campbell said. "As a freshman, I was more enjoying it. This year, more is expected from me when I step in net. I learned to stay composed and not to let a goal bother me. I just brush it off and keep playing."
Campbell and his teammates are aiming for an Ivy League Championship this year, he said. With a new head coach and a new offseason work ethic, the Big Green is playing with a new attitude.
"This year, we're a much more dedicated, physical and intense team than we were last year," Campbell said. "Our off-season is much different. [The additional training] made kids more dedicated and physically more ready to the season. They demanded more from us, but with that the team was expecting to get more from the season."
Unlike in previous years, the automatic NCAA tournament bid is no longer given to the team with the best Ivy League record. Instead, the top four teams will compete in a tournament to decide who goes to the championship.
"We're expecting to make the Ivy League tournament," Campbell said. "Even though we lost to [No. 16] Harvard [University], we knew that we played a good first half. We know if we play like that every game, we can make the tournament because we can beat any team."
Campbell will make his third start of the season in a showdown against the No. 19 Yale University Bulldogs on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Hanover at Scully-Fahey Field.
