The women's soccer team continued to battle adversity this week, and it didn't even play a match.
After a disappointing 6-4 start to the season, both the players and coaches were looking forward to five days of rest and preparation before playing host to this weekend's Duke-adidas Women's Soccer Classic.
But fate proved unkind to the Blue Devils this week as senior defender Deanna Kreidel injured her left knee during Tuesday's practice. The injury is believed to be serious and Kreidel's teammates feel that it is unlikely that she will be able to return anytime this season.
"Deanna will be in our hearts this weekend," teammate Mandy Manzanares said. "She is a very important part of our team. We'll be out there playing for her because we really miss her."
The 1995 Duke-adidas Women's Soccer Classic begins on Friday at 5 p.m., as N.C. State (8-1) squares off against Texas (3-8) at Duke Soccer Stadium. Duke will then take on Ohio State (4-7) as the 18th-ranked Blue Devils attempt to break a two-game losing streak--their longest since 1993.
Saturday's games feature the No. 11 Wolfpack of N.C. State against Ohio State at 5 p.m., while Duke plays a young and inexperienced Texas team at 7 p.m.
"We're pretty excited [about the tournament]," senior Missy Durham said. "Practice this week has been intense, but we are just going to take it one game at a time."
Duke is looking to generate some momentum after the worst start in the program's history. A loss this weekend would virtually eliminate the Blue Devils' possibility of a return to the NCAA tournament.
Although Ohio State has struggled this year, Duke head coach Bill Hempen is taking a cautious approach to Friday night's game.
"Ohio State's record is deceiving," Hempen said. "They took Notre Dame to overtime this past weekend. We need to put together a good solid effort and experience victory. That will help heal some wounds."
Duke will be switching to a more defensive alignment in hopes of preventing any further defensive lapses--an unfortunate trend for the Blue Devils this season.
One striker will be withdrawn into the midfield as Duke will display two attackers, five midfielders and three defensive backs. The extra midfielder will help limit the counter attacking ability of its opponents, according to Durham.
Kreidel's absence in the back may force more pressure upon senior goalkeeper Melissa Carr. Carr has been a mainstay in net this season, posting a 1.20 goals against average.
"Melissa has been excellent," said Hempen. "She struggled earlier on in Dallas, but is now refocused. The games we have lost this year have not had to do with goalkeeping."
Hempen has been working on the Blue Devils' level of combativeness this week in practice with various one versus one and two versus two drills. He believes that his team must be aggressive in order to win.
"We're excited," said Durham. "We're ready to go."
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