Coming off an appearance in the national championship game, the Blue Devils came into the season with high expectations and a clear set of goals.
They will have a chance to accomplish one of those goals Thursday night.
No. 6 Duke will look to clinch its third ACC regular season title in program history when it takes on No. 14 Clemson Thursday at 7 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium. A victory against the Tigers would tie the school record for most league wins in a year and give the Blue Devils the top seed in the ACC tournament.
"Our goals are to win a regular season championship, win an ACC tournament championship, and win a national championship," Duke head coach Robbie Church said.
Having dropped just one of their last 10 contests, the Blue Devils (12-3-2, 7-1-1 in the ACC) enter Thursday's regular-season finale with momentum. In Duke's game Sunday against Pittsburgh, the Blue Devils scored the only two goals of the game in the first 10 minutes of the contest. After being shut out 1-0 by Florida State in the previous game, the fast start was just what Duke needed to get back on track.
"When we come out quickly and put the ball in the back of the net early, we've had good results," freshman Ella Stevens said.
But Clemson enters Thursday's matchup on a winning streak of its own.
The Tigers (12-3-2, 6-1-2) have won their last four conference games and allowed only two goals during their winning streak. Clemson enters the matchup as one of three teams tied for second in the ACC and could come away with a regular-season conference title of its own with a win against the Blue Devils and a few more favorable results.
The matchup between the Blue Devils and Tigers could be a high-scoring one as it features two of the most aggressive teams in the nation. Clemson enters the game tied for the highest goals per game average in the ACC and Duke sits just behind them in second. Although the Blue Devils have taken pride in their strong defense all season, Duke may have to win a shootout if it cannot dictate the pace of play early in the game.
The Blue Devil attack has been led by the trio of Stevens, junior Imani Dorsey and senior Toni Payne, which has combined for 21 goals on the season. But Duke has been able to rely on other options to contribute on offense as well, as the Blue Devils have three more players with at least three goals on the season.
Although Duke has notched 39 goals throughout the 17 games it has played, the Blue Devils might have some trouble finding holes in the Tigers defense. Despite being more known for its offense, Clemson has only allowed 14 goals in their 17 games, and only five first-half goals all season.
"A lot of my goals have come from teammates either making great runs or putting great balls in the box....It's just about being in the right place at the right time," Stevens said.
On the other side of the field, Clemson’s attack boasts one of the most potent scorers Duke has seen all season. Senior Catrina Atanda—who is tied for second in the conference with 11 goals on the year—has been the focal point of the Tigers offense and is coming off a pair of goals in the team's win Sunday against N.C. State. But despite having such a dominant scorer, Clemson also has 14 other players who have put the ball in the back of the net this season.
“She is by far their offensive threat, but they’re much better as a unit than they are individually,” Church said.
A big reason for the Tigers' high totals on the scoreboard this season has been their ability to move the ball around the field and set up teammates in good spots. Although Clemson comes into the game with 50 assists in the season, it might be difficult for them to replicate this success against a Blue Devil defense whose opponents have just six assists all season on 12 goals.
The matchup between the high-powered Tiger offense and the stout Duke defense will go a long way in determining which team comes away with the victory.
After using a five-game winning streak in the middle of the season to rise to the top of the ACC standings, Duke has put itself in a position to capture the conference title it envisioned from the first day of practice. But the Blue Devils will have to raise their level of play once again as the Tigers present a tough challenge and have something to play for themselves.
“This league is so hard, so tough, and any time you’ve done so much work to get yourself in a championship, you want to finish it off,” Church said.
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