Upcoming Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Cornell on April 11, 2026 at 2 p.m.
/
2 p.m.
Men's Lacrosse
vs Cornell
Roth: Greer Makes History As All-Time NCAA Goals Scorer
5/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
DURHAM, N.C. ? The NCAA tournaments for spring sports begin this week and almost every Duke squad will be involved in postseason play. Two in particular should be strong contenders for national championships ? the women's golf team, which has won the last three NCAA crowns, and the men's lacrosse team, which is seeded No. 1 in its tourney and will open play with a home game against Loyola on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
The seniors (fourth- and fifth-year) on the lacrosse team might hope the third time is the charm when it comes to claiming a national title, as they came up just short in the championship games of 2005 and 2007. They have been dominant this year, outscoring the opposition by an average of eight goals per game in rolling to a 16-1 record. Less than a handful of their contests have been close in the fourth quarter.
Before all attention focuses on their quest for the crown, this is an appropriate time to salute one of the many outstanding individual performances that has helped the Blue Devils post a 56-9 lacrosse record over the past four years.
Senior Zack Greer, a prolific attackman from Canada, reached a major national milestone in Duke's final regular season game on Sunday. With seven goals in a 16-9 win over St. John's, Greer became the all-time leading goal scorer in NCAA lacrosse history.
The old record of 193 career goals, held by N.C. State's Stan Cockerton, had stood for 28 years.
Greer broke it with 8:44 remaining in the third quarter and went on to score three more times to push his total to 197 entering the NCAA Tournament. There is a better than average chance that he will become the country's first career 200-goal man early in the playoffs.
Greer led the nation in goals scored in 2005 (57) and 2007 (67) and stands No. 1 again this year, with 56 so far. In his 64 Duke games ? he has started all but one contest since his arrival ? he has averaged three goals per contest.
“I knew the record was there, but it was in the back of my mind,” Greer said following the St. John's game. “Obviously, we're looking to the playoffs now and individual records are something we don't concern ourselves with. It's nice to get it done and it's cool that it happened at home in the last regular season game, but we're looking forward to the playoffs.
“I came in as a midfielder and was just looking to get some playing time. We've had four great teams and I've been here for four great years with great players and that's what does it. It's the guys around you that make something like this happen.”
Greer's accomplishment joins a few other notable all-time NCAA records achieved by Duke figures. Twenty-five years ago, football quarterback Ben Bennett set the Division I all-time passing yardage record, though it has since been eclipsed. Fifteen years ago, basketball point guard Bobby Hurley set the NCAA all-time assists record and it is still the standard. His teammate Christian Laettner remains the all-time scoring leader in NCAA Tournament play, while J.J. Redick two years ago set the national mark for career three-pointers. Earlier that academic year, Duke's Dan Brooks became the all-time winningest women's golf coach in NCAA history ? a mark that increases with every Blue Devil tournament victory. His club's recent ACC championship boosted his total to 107, and counting.
N.C. State no longer fields a lacrosse team, but Stan Cockerton was one of the great players in ACC history. He was first-team All-ACC for four years (1977-80), was the league's player of the year as both a freshman and sophomore, and compiled his amazing goal total during an era when there was no ACC Tournament. State played in just one NCAA contest during his career, and only 45 games total, so the fact that his scoring record stood for so long nationally is truly remarkable.
Now Greer is at the top of the charts for a remarkable career that deserves applause as the postseason begins.
All-Time Goals Scored, NCAA Men's Lacrosse
1. Zack Greer, Duke (2005-08) 197
2. Stan Cockerton, N.C. State (1977-80) 193
3. Gary Gait, Syracuse (1987-90) 192
4. Mike French, Cornell (1974-76) 191
5. Merrick Thomson, Albany (2004-07) 188
6. Terry Riordan, Hopkins (1992-95) 184
Players Mentioned
M
/ Men's LacrosseMen's Lacrosse - Cinematic Recap vs Denver
Wednesday, April 08
Duke Men's Lacrosse: Excellence on and off the field defined
Friday, August 29
Duke Men's Lacrosse Recruiting Video
Friday, August 29
Duke Men's Lacrosse: Excellence On and Off the Field Defined
Friday, August 29
