The change to daylight savings time threw everyone's timing off this past weekend. That is, everyone except the women's soccer team.
With the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament less than a week away, Duke knew exactly what to do in its final two regular-season games. On Saturday, the No. 6 Blue Devils (13-5-1 overall, 4-3 in the ACC) embarrassed No. 9 Virginia 6-0. They returned to Duke Soccer Stadium Sunday to dominate Alabama 7-0.
"This is the most confident that we have been all year," senior midfielder Katherine Remy said. "This is perfect timing. It is a good time for us to start getting more and more momentum."
From the onset of the Virginia game, the Blue Devils assumed the role of aggressor by carving up the Cavalier defense. Junior Mandy Manzanares raced down the left side of the field and crossed the ball to classmate Mandy Lehr. Lehr, who moved up from her marking back position, one-timed it past Virginia goalie Brit Swenberg.
Fifteen minutes later, freshman phenom Kristy Whelchel headed a Missy Durham free kick to the back post, beating Swenberg. Everything seemed to be going Duke's way. UVa could never mount any offense in light of the Blue Devils' constant attacks. Durham once again created offense as she set up sophomore Kari Juncker, who gave Duke the comfortable 3-0 halftime lead.
"It looked so easy today and it looked so hard against UNC-Greensboro on Tuesday [a 3-2 Duke win]," Hempen said. "There is no science to this. I guess that it is a concentration level with a little bit of luck."
During the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Cavaliers showed signs of life until Durham and Whelchel teamed up once again, with Whelchel tallying her sixth goal of the season and Durham collecting a hat trick of assists for the day.
After the fourth goal, UVa collapsed--turning a matchup of top teams into a Duke practice. The remainder of the game featured pinpoint passing with the Blue Devils using the entire field. Remy netted the fifth goal off freshman Mariana Muiruri's assist. Remy and sophomore Andi Melde combined on a give and go with Melde collecting the game's final goal.
While the Blue Devils set a record for most goals against a ranked team in one game, the defense garnered most of the attention by producing yet another standout performance. Since placing the team's emphasis on defense, Hempen has seen six shutouts in Duke's last nine games. Deemed the "no-goal patrol" by sophomore defender Samantha Baggett, the defense also translates into more offense.
"If we play team defense everywhere all over the field, they are not going to score on us," Durham said. "We have been trying to get all 11 players behind the ball and then attack once we win it. "
On Sunday, deja vu ensued--defense producing offense. Remy gave Duke a quick 1-0 lead off assists from Manzanares and senior Kelly Walbert. For the next 40 minutes, the Blue Devils controlled the game but couldn't tickle the twine until Walbert showed the Tide why she may be the best player in the country. Moving up the endline and closing to within a few yards from Alabama keeper Jamie Hanna, Walbert recorded her 14th goal of the season by shooting between Hanna's legs.
"There was no one in the center, so I kicked it as hard as I could," Walbert said. "I should say that I meant to shoot it [between her legs] but I didn't. I promise."
Leading only 2-0 as the second half began, Hempen challenged his team to score, and the players responded by putting up five more goals. Juncker scored off a Walbert assist three minutes into the half. Remy continued her stellar play by collecting her third goal on the weekend off senior Cara Lyons' assist. Not be left out of the scoring deluge, Lyons recorded her fourth goal of the season from another Durham assist. With her four-assist weekend, Durham, who usually takes most free kicks, now owns six on the season.
Muiruri and Manzanares closed out the scoring when each tallied unassisted goals giving Duke the 7-0 victory as Hempen emptied his bench. Of the 13 Blue Devil goals this weekend, Walbert tallied one goal and two assists. This marks a significant change in Duke's play, which depended on the two-time All-American for the bulk of its scoring earlier in the year.
"Too many times at the beginning of the season we said `Here Kelly, go score,'" Hempen said. "As the season wore on, other teams would focus on her and other kids were having to step up and we didn't do that for a long time. We rode on Kelly's back for the first half of the season. It's great for the other kids to get a taste of getting the ball in the back of the net."
Before the weekend began, the seniors viewed these games as perhaps their last at Duke Soccer Stadium. But the wins and the manner in which the Blue Devils provided them should change all of that. Once in danger of not making the NCAA tournament, they may now receive a first round bye in the NCAAs and a second-round home game.
"I don't think this was our last home game," Walbert said. "Even if we get a bye, I think we have a chance to have a game on this field. So we are just keeping our fingers crossed."
For a senior class that has given the program its first national championship final, its first ACC season championship and given the soccer world a win over North Carolina, it wouldn't be right for these seniors to leave Duke without some fanfare.
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