In a tournament that women's soccer head coach Bill Hempen described as "survive and move on," that's exactly how N.C. State defeated Duke. In a 122:15 marathon that featured hard fouls, great individual performances and more than its share of hit posts, the Wolfpack outlasted the Blue Devils in a double-overtime thriller.
"Look at a world cup game or any game that matters, a game like this deserves to be intense," N.C. State head coach Alvin Corneal said. "We are talking about schools that have reputations on the line. We are talking about kids who want to identify themselves. We are talking about all sorts of very important factors surrounding the teams. It's just not two soccer teams here. It's two areas, two sets of families."
Twenty minutes into the game, sophomore marking back Samantha Baggett set the tone for Duke. From the right corner of the Wolfpack endline, Baggett shot a ball that sailed just over the far post. It would be one of those days for the Blue Devils. The game was as close as it was intense. During a tightly-marked first half, neither team could firmly establish itself, until seniors Kelly Walbert and Katherine Remy set up freshman midfielder Kristy Whelchel for a spectacular header. But the 1-0 Duke lead didn't phase the Wolfpack. After all, this team had seen its share of adversity. Most experts picked State to finish fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Now it sits as one of the final eight teams left in the NCAA tournament.
"[Corneal] is a magician," Hempen said. "He is doing something with a real good team. He is getting a lot of mileage out of his outside players. So he is doing quite well."
After the intermission, the intensity escalated as the pace quickened. Featuring longer runs, the offenses opened up. With 30 minutes remaining in regulation, the Wolfpack used a little of that magic. N.C. State forward Monica Hall drilled a rocket into the right corner from 22 yards out. And for the next hour, the teams battled to near exhaustion. Each offensive opportunity heightened the tension. As time wound down, the tension became a frenzy with players flying all over the field. After slipping on the field with the ball deep in Wolfpack territory, Remy crawled for the ball in an attempt to center it. Regulation closed with two solid shots by junior Mandy Manzanares and Hall--both careening off the left post.
In overtime, the intensity translated into more physical play. Not that the action wasn't rough in regulation, as NCSU tallied 25 fouls to Duke's 14 for the game. Going in, the Blue Devils knew what to expect. Last week, N.C. State committed an NCAA record 37 fouls against William & Mary on a rain-soaked field. With neither team willing to give an inch, fouls elevated to the status of takedowns. The referees allowed the play to continue even when players lay strewn on the field.
"When the end of your season is on the line, physical play tends to step up a bit," Baggett said. "The intensity in overtime was huge. Just being on the field, you realized that neither team wanted to lose and that showed in the play."
In the 107th minute, ACC Player of the Year Walbert displayed why she may be the best player in America. Walbert raced from her forward position to track down State's Stephanie Sanders inside Duke's box. Minutes later Wolfpack goalie Katherine Mertz clobbered Walbert in the air. After laying motionless on the ground for several minutes, Walbert had to leave the game. A mere 57 seconds later, Walbert retuned to the game.
"From being knocked out and having her ribs and hips bruised and then coming right back in shows that she didn't want her senior season to end," Baggett said. "She never gives up. Everyone gave all we had, but it just wasn't enough."
And the harder Duke played, the harder it became to score. Sophomore Kari Juncker headed a ball that struck the cross bar in the sudden death period. Mertz hit two saves that ricocheted off the cross bar as well in the final stanza. But Saturday was not Duke's day, as N.C. State sophomore Megan Jeidy ended the contest with a diving header. Duke fans have heard the Jeidy name before as her brother, Craig, plays soccer for Duke. The goal cut short the careers of the most decorated senior class ever in the program's eight-year history. A class that reached a national final, won a regular season ACC championship, and beat Carolina. But the seniors meant more to Hempen's young program than just awards.
"[After the loss] I felt disbelief that I would never play with the senior class," Baggett said. "I will never face Kelly [Walbert] in practice or hear Missy [Durham's] funny jokes in the locker room. The class had great personalities as well as great soccer ability. And that's what made them so special."
Last week, Hempen reflected on how to define this year's team, which most consider the finest in the program's history. After leaning forward in his chair, Hempen didn't mention talent, championships, or wins over Carolina, but he simply stated a "tough, solid, hard-working soccer team."
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