The Blue Devils have already scored several goals this season, but head coach Robbie Church only has one in mind—he wants his team to be itself rather than adapting to what other teams do.
No. 21 Duke gets its first early-season test Friday at 8 p.m. as Church’s squad visits No. 6 Penn State at Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pa., before returning for its home opener at Koskinen Stadium Sunday against William and Mary at 6 p.m. The matchup against the Nittany Lions marks the Blue Devils' first true road trip of the season and the opportunity to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2012—when Duke eventually lost to Penn State in the NCAA championship quarterfinals.
“We’re all looking forward to this because this is our first judgment of where we are in the national scene,” Church said. “They are a great program and this is the first big top-10 team we’ll play in the course of this year. This game will help both programs there on the road before we get to the [Duke Nike Classic] tournament.”
Despite losing important figures like goalkeeper Ali Kershner, midfielder Gilda Doria and attacker Kelly Cobb from last year's team, the Blue Devils (2-0) have renewed themselves thanks to the addition of six talented freshmen and the recovery of redshirt sophomore midfielder Cassie Pecht. In two games, the club has found the back of the net nine times and conceded no goals.
Newcomers Taylor Racioppi and Kayla McCoy—rated as the No. 2 and No. 3 players in their class, respectively—have had an immediate impact on the Duke offense, notching three goals each in the first two regular-season contests.
After Racioppi scored two goals in the season-opening 5-0 win against Fresno State at the UNC Nike Classic, McCoy poured in two strikes of her own in the 4-0 victory against Weber State two days later. Both players join former Blue Devils Cobb, Casey McCluskey, Andi Melde, Caitlin Connolly and Dena Paris as the only Duke players to score at least one goal in their first two collegiate contests.
“[Racioppi and McCoy] are just very talented players with a really strong character,” Church said. “They’ve been nothing but team players since they’ve come in. They’ve worked extremely hard and show talent when they get on the field. And they don’t want any of the national light. They just want to be part of the group and team.”
After two years on the sidelines due to knee injuries, Pecht returned to action in Duke's 1-0 exhibition victory against Clemson. The Mechanicsburg, Pa., native averaged 52.0 minutes per match in the UNC Nike Classic last weekend and scored a goal from outside the box against Weber State—her first since 2012.
Pecht is not the only Blue Devil getting healthy—center back Rebecca Quinn returned to action Sunday after missing time with an ankle injury. The Toronto native, who competed with the Canadian national team in the Pan American Games this summer, missed the contest against the Bulldogs but saw 35 minutes of action against the Wildcats.
“We’re happy to have Rebecca back with us,” Church said. “We have to get her some practice time. We’re happy to be a full team and it does not only help us for game day, but it helps us during practice time, because we have quality players the team can train against.”
Penn State (2-0) has produced its fair share of offense as well, notching six goals in its two victories. The Nittany Lions beat Hofstra 2-1 in their season opener Aug. 21 and then defeated Loyola Marymount 4-2 two days later. Senior forward Mallory Weber and junior midfielder Nickolette Driesse pose a serious threat to the Blue Devils’ back line, combining for two goals and three assists in two games.
In the past three season years, Penn State has beaten Duke twice—a 4-3 decision at the Duke Nike Classic last season in which the Blue Devils outshot the Nittany Lions 20-14 and in 2012, when midfielder Christina Nairn scored the only goal of the contest from the penalty spot to knock Duke out of the NCAA quarterfinals.
“Saturday the sun is going to come up if we win or lose,” Church said. “It’s only one game, but it’s a game that we want to measure ourselves with some of the top programs of the country.”
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