PHILADELPHIA — Off to the side of the pandemonium, Casey Carroll quietly watched his Duke teammates mob one another on the sun-drenched field, soaking in the first national championship he managed to witness in person.

For Duke’s first title, in 2010, Carroll was on duty in Afghanistan with the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, Third Battalion, following it on a painfully slow Internet hookup, whooping and hollering by himself.

“I was clicking that refresh button as fast as I could,” Carroll said Monday.

He held a piece of net in his hand and wore a camouflage Duke hat. Six years after playing and losing in the title game in 2007, after four tours overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan, Carroll, a redshirt senior, finally had his on-field championship celebration, on Memorial Day, no less.

And with a 16-10 demolition of Syracuse in front of a crowd announced at 28,224 at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday afternoon for its second title in four years, Duke confirmed its status as a powerhouse in Division I lacrosse these days.