The big question for the field hockey team this season: Does it have enough talent, mental toughness and teamwork to propel itself to the next level?
In the 12 years that head coach Jacki Silar has been at the helm of the Duke program, the Blue Devils have progressed from a .500 squad to one of the nation's finest. Duke's success culminated in a top-10 finish last year as the Blue Devils upset two of the top-five teams in the country en route to earning their first-ever NCAA tournament bid.
But with eight of 11 starters returning for 1993 and one of the most versatile recruiting classes in school history in town, Duke's sights are set on reaching the heralded final four.
Preseason rankings place Duke at the No. 9 spot, but the biggest obstacle the Blue Devils need to overcome has nothing to do with the team's hockey skills or game plans. Duke needs to hone in on the mental side of its game, especially in dealing with the fact that the Blue Devils are favored to win all but five of their 19 regular season games.
Duke managed its best hockey last season when it had nothing to lose, playing as the underdog against unsuspecting teams. But the Blue Devils struggled considerably when they had to deal with the pressure of being favored to beat teams ranked just below them in the national standings.
"We were in that position, where people expected [us] to win the game last year," Silar said. "We learned how to play as the top dog with people trying to knock you off."
If Duke can get past the mental pressures, everything else might just fall into place. This is a team of seasoned veterans combined with a group of rookies that has a lot of national experience at the high school level.
Leading the way will be senior co-captains Laura Gentile and Mary Lewis. Gentile should have no trouble making things happen as Duke's center forward in her second year as co-captain. She accounted for nearly half of the Blue Devils' offense last season and was a second team All-America selection.
"[Gentile] is key on and off the field with her leadership role," Silar said. "She must maintain a good, intense level of a mental game for us."
Freshman Jodie Taylor is a probable starter right behind Gentile, in the center midfield position. Both Taylor and classmates Alison DeLeo and Lynn Schoenherr are likely to have an immediate impact and help fill the voids left in the Blue Devil lineup due to graduation. Silar said she will look to all five freshmen to add speed to Duke's lineup.
"[The freshmen] are all really good athletes," Gentile said. "They haven't made waves, but they work really hard."
With no defensive responsibilities at the center-midfield position, Taylor should also help add a new scoring dimension to the Blue Devil offense that revolved almost entirely around penalty corner opportunities last season.
There is no doubt that Duke will have to broaden its attack and score more goals from the field to beat the nation's elite group of teams. But last year's solid penalty corner unit is back.
Lisa Ehrhart will start the assaults, taking the penalty corners in her final season as a Blue Devil. Junior Mary Dye, an All-ACC selection last year, will be on the receiving end of Ehrhart's pushes, setting up for Gentile's blasts on goal. The threesome was incredibly effective last season as Gentile tallied a school-record 18 goals, and Dye and Ehrhart were at the top of the assist category.
Dye will also anchor the defense from the center-back position. She started the preseason in excellent condition, and Silar hopes she will be able to direct a lot of play as the team's "quarterback."
After starting all 20 games as a freshman last season, Patience Harrison will help solidify the defense.
But a big question mark remains in the cage. Heather Moles proved to be a key addition to the team last season, allowing only 25 goals in 20 games before being named the ACC Rookie of the Year. But sophomore Kim Makalusky has come on strong this preseason and looks to be a legitimate threat for the starting job.
With Gentile up front, Taylor in the midfield and Dye back on defense Duke has a core of players that should be able to control the action and set the pace for Blue Devils.
"We put our strength in the middle," Silar said. "Now we need to judge when we should hold on to the ball and when to pass, but we've come a long way."
There is still plenty of road to travel ahead, however, as the Blue Devils face their toughest schedule in recent history, matching up with the top three teams in the nation and six more from the top 20.
"We don't put a lot of emphasis on the poll," Silar said. "We focus on our team. [The poll] is in the back of everyone's mind, and we are happy and pleased with it, but now we have to go out and prove it."
Duke will have its first chance to do just that on Saturday when the team travels to Richmond for the season opener.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.