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Includes weekend schedule
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Women's soccer faces toughest test yet**
The schedule says Duke women's soccer played its first game nearly two weeks ago. But in terms of the competition the Blue Devils have faced in three games this season -- contests they won by a combined 12-1 score -- they haven't seen anything yet.
Although the Blue Devils will be playing in their fifth game of the young '93 season this Sunday, the game may be their first real test and indication of what's to come.
The women take the field at noon Sunday against nationally-ranked Central Florida in the second game of the Carolina Classic at North Carolina's Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill. The first game of the weekend pits Duke against a much-improved Washington team at 3 p.m. Saturday at Fetzer.
Last year, Duke downed Central Florida, 2-0. This year's Duke team, though, is younger and less experienced. The Blue Devils lost the program's first All-America selection, Jennifer Lewis, to graduation. Duke has only two seniors on the roster this year, as opposed to five starting seniors in 1992. The team will have to counter inexperience with talent.
But is this team as good as it was a year ago when the women posted a 17-5-2 record that carried them to the NCAA championship game. Although head coach Bill Hempen likes what he sees so far, the first three games were valuable, mostly, to get the monkey wrenches out of the system.
"The first part of the season is over. If there was a weak part in our schedule, that was it," Hempen said.
Although the Central Florida contest may be the focal match of the weekend because of UCF's national ranking, Hempen and the rest of the team aren't overlooking the Washington game. The Huskies have a young program, and head coach Dang Tibulvich is making great strides with it.
So what's the game plan for the Washington match?
"We're just going to stick with what we've been doing," Hempen said.
Translation: Winning.
And the women are ready to hit the grass. They'll have gone 11 days without a game before the Washington match. Sometimes a long spell without action can hurt a team on a winning streak.
However, sophomore Kelly Walbert felt the time off actually might help the team.
"Our coaches worked us pretty hard during practice," Walbert said. "Being eager to play is a positive as well."
"I don't think we'll be down," Hempen said. "We're aching to play."
Two new NCAA rules this season will lead to more attack-oriented games in both weekend contests. First, goaltenders have only five seconds to get rid of the ball once they gain control of it, and secondly, defenders may not play the ball back to the keeper to kill time. These rules should provide more action with the ball at the attacker's feet and less time in the keeper's hands.
This means scoring.
"I expect that we'll be on the attack a lot and Central Florida will be on the attack a lot," Hempen said. "It should be a fast-paced game."
`Our front six are returning, so our offense should be strong," Forward Meegan McMullin said.
A key factor in the game will be the play of Walbert. Last year as a freshman striker, she led the team in scoring with 20 points. This year she will be asked to help fill the void left by Lewis in the midfield.
"Kelly, a lot like Jennifer [Lewis] last year, had to play her way into midfielder," Hempen said. "She is taking on the responsibility, and doing a good job with it."
Walbert is enjoying the new position. At center midfielder, she controls the tempo of the game and is largely in control of ball distribution.
McMullin, one of four juniors, will also be looked to for a big game. Last season she tallied 17 points, second only to Walbert.
"Our freshmen don't know what it's like to lose," Walbert said. "We don't want them to find out."
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