With one game under its belt, the ninth-ranked field hockey team has shifted its focus.
Less than a week ago Duke was trying to build a more potent offense to help broaden its attack. But after a 6-3 season opening victory over Richmond, the Blue Devils are searching for their defense, which only allowed more than two goals on rare occasions last year -- to the No. 1 and No. 4 teams in the country.
Senior co-captain Laura Gentile dominated last year's offensive unit, scoring 18 goals on the season, 11 more than her closest teammate. Most of her goals stemmed from set plays run during penalty corner opportunities in which Gentile's blasts flew past rushing defenders time and time again.
But when opponents limited Duke's penalty corner chances, the Blue Devils' offense was essentially grounded. Top-ranked Old Dominion didn't yield a single penalty corner last season and ran past Duke 7-1. North Carolina attacked the Blue Devils with a similar approach, allowing no more than a pair of corners in each of the Tar Heels' three shutout victories.
So, understandably, Duke entered preseason practice with an offensive mindset. The Blue Devils knew they had to score more from the field to be capable of hanging with the nation's elite group of teams.
And after earning the first NCAA tournament bid in school history last season, Duke players hoped to improve on their No. 7 ranking and possibly crack the top four.
As the season opened last weekend, Gentile led the way as Duke pounded on an unsuspecting Richmond team with six goals. The Blue Devils managed that kind of offensive output only twice last season against far inferior teams.
But most pleasing for Duke was that half its goals resulted from crisp passing and fast-breaks, not penalty corners.
Now that head coach Jacki Silar has instilled confidence in her team as to its offensive abilities, it's time to do some work on the other end of the field.
"We're going back to the basics," Silar said. "We have been focusing a lot on defense in the last two days [of practice], and we're really breaking it down."
For starters, Blue Devil defenders will start picking up their opponents at the midfield line. Duke opted to switch to the half-court approach to keep everyone in a player-player defensive position.
"We have to know where the people around us are," junior Mary Dye said. "Now I have to mark someone and always know where she is."
Right behind the defense is an intense battle at the goalie position. Sophomores Kim Makalusky and Heather Moles are still competing on a day-to-day basis for time in the cage. Moles was the ACC Rookie of the Year last season, but Makalusky won the job in preseason and will probably get the starting nod in Duke's next game. Either way, the two combine for one of the best kept cages in the country.
Because the Blue Devils have just 18 players on the roster, they can't hold full 11-on-11 scrimmages in practice. So last weekend's contest at Richmond was the first real game situation for the defense. Although the team is enjoying its 1-0 start, it's preparing to turn the defense up a notch for this weekend's games at William & Mary and Virginia Commonwealth.
Duke rolled over William & Mary 4-0 last season and shouldn't have much trouble repeating that effort Saturday. The Tribe is 0-2 this year with losses to UNC and Michigan State.
Neither of the Blue Devils' upcoming foes are ranked in the top 20, but VCU won't be taken lightly. The Rams upset Duke 2-1 in last season's contest, and this year the Blue Devils will be carrying the No. 9 ranking and an unblemished record into Richmond.
"We owe them big time," Silar said.
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