In a game some billed as David vs. Goliath, the Duke field hockey team showed Wednesday afternoon that it's a lot closer to the elite in the country than many think.
No. 1 North Carolina defeated Duke 3-0 at West Campus Field in front of a larger than usual crowd. Duke (3-4, 0-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) managed to hang with UNC (7-0, 1-0 in the ACC) due to a defense that would bend but not break and a career-high 22 saves by senior goalkeeper Heather Moles. This is no small accomplishment, considering the Tar Heels came into this game having outscored its opponents--all nationally ranked--29-4.
The Blue Devils actually held North Carolina scoreless through much of the first half, despite allowing eight penalty corners. It appeared the half would end 0-0 until Duke suffered a letdown with just 24 seconds left. After a turnover around midfield, UNC gained possession and fed the ball to forward Kate Barber, who turned and ripped a shot into the far corner of the net just past the stretch of Moles.
"I just had the ball and an open shot," Barber said. "I was a little frustrated because I had earlier opportunities but I was able to put this one in."
According to Duke junior backer Lynn Schoenherr, the Blue Devils may have been starting to anticipate the intermission and, thus, lost their intensity a little.
"The first half we held them for so long and then for them to score in the last 30 seconds," Schoenherr said. "I think that relaxed them and they settled into their game."
North Carolina was further relaxed by the fact that they had already withstood Duke's biggest chance of the game. With just over four minutes left in the first half, Blue Devil sophomore forward Melissa Panasci, who has already scored 11 times this year, blasted a hard shot to the far corner that forced UNC goalie Jana Winthrow to sprawl out parallel in order to stop the ball.
"I thought the ball was in and she just made an excellent save," Panasci said. "She's a great goalkeeper."
That save was one of only four made by Winthrow, as compared to Moles' 22. Overall, the Tar Heels outshot Duke 31-4. They also dominated on penalty corners, taking a 16 to 3 advantage.
Duke's shortages on offense were a glaring weakness. The Blue Devils increased their pressure in the second half but never mounted a threat. Moles definitely sees room for improvement.
"I think we're so excited sometimes that when we're in the circle and we have offensive opportunities, we're a little premature," Moles said. "I think we need to take the time and look where we are in relation to the cage and see the ball. We can score."
Much of the action in the second half was around midfield as both teams fought for control. At 17:55, UNC's Joy Driscoll took control when she scored a controversial goal on a high shot. The Blue Devils and head coach Jacki Silar argued that the shot entered the net above the waist, which would have nullified the goal. The goal stood, however, and North Carolina was in command. Tar Heel Kimberly Schroll added an insurance goal that trickled into the net at 8:30 to seal the winning margin.
While Duke definitely played the top-ranked team in the nation well, it still expects more.
"We played well but I'm not satisfied," Silar said. "We can beat UNC. We're happy with the things we did well but we're not satisfied."
North Carolina head coach Karen Shelton agreed that her team had to play a lot better opponent than it expected coming in.
"Overall we're not as pleased as we'd like to be, but I give credit to a feisty Duke team," Shelton said. "They really played us exceptionally well and had outstanding goalkeeping at the same time. I think they're a very good team. They're going to beat some good teams this year and it may be us the next time we see them."
Duke was able to stay close in large part due to a defense that refused to allow the ball in the cage. Moles, in particular, put on a top-notch performance, repeatedly making kick saves to thwart the Tar Heel attack.
"It's definitely the best I've played this season," Moles said. "It's where I need to be for this team to succeed. I think we're very capable of playing at their level."
Schoenherr also helped in killing many of UNC's penalty corner chances.
"I feel like I died down at the end but I played really on today," she said. "I felt pretty good."
Despite playing well, the team must now fight an uphill battle to reach its season goals. The Blue Devils still hope to finish in the top three in the ACC. If Wednesday was any indication, Duke is primed and ready for the fight.
"I'm disappointed that we lost but I'm satisfied with the way we played," Panasci said. "I think we have more confidence to know we can go out and beat UNC the next time. Overall we played a great game."
The Blue Devils will host Davidson in their next match on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. at the West Campus Field.
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