This has been a year of firsts in the inaugural season for the women's lacrosse team.
But as the Blue Devils approach the halfway point in the season, one thing has still been missing-the first Duke-UNC game. Thus, when the two teams clash at 7 p.m. in Chapel Hill tonight, a new rivalry will commence between the two schools.
"[The rivalry] definitely carries over from other sports," freshman Kendra Basner said. "Even though we haven't played them yet, we still feel the rivalry."
Both the Tar Heels and Duke are first-year programs. Yet while North Carolina has burst out of the gate, the Blue Devils have struggled thus far. Duke has recorded just two wins this year, dropping many games by less than three goals. It took No. 5 Dartmouth down to the wire last month before losing 10-7.
"It seems like we come close a lot but we can't pull [games] out," Basner said. "Sometimes the offense comes out for games and sometimes the defense, but we can't seem to find the happy medium."
This past weekend Duke had mixed results in a road trip at Vanderbilt. The Blue Devils lost to the Commodores on Friday, 13-11, but recovered to defeat Stanford, 10-7, on Saturday.
"I was disappointed with our loss against Vanderbilt because I feel like we were the better team," head coach Kerstin Kimel said. "We have a string-full of games we've lost by one or two goals. In those games, you know somewhere in there are a few things that would've made the difference."
On a positive note, junior Jodie Taylor tallied five points in the Stanford game while freshman Meghan McLaughlin and sophomore Amy Murnick scored two goals apiece.
Duke also received a scoring contribution that it can begin to expect on a regular basis now. Freshman Payton Black, who just concluded the women's basketball season a few weeks ago, joined the team this weekend. She made an immediate contribution with two goals in the game against the Cardinal.
Kimel feels it also helped Black to be able to go on a road trip with the team and spend more time with her teammates. The entire squad benefitted from the chance to be together.
"It was good for the girls to have a chance to be together and bond with each other," Kimel said. "We have to come together as a group and jell."
An advantage North Carolina has had this year over Duke has been its experience. The Tar Heels have transfers from such national powers as Maryland and Virginia, as well as having athletes who have competed at the Division I level in other sports. This has helped facilitate UNC's expansion process and allowed it to beat many teams handily.
A key for Duke will be its play on defense. Sophomore goaltender Natalie Lamarque has stepped up her play in recent games, while defenders Lorrie Meyercord and Laura Rooklin have steadily kept the ball away from the net. The defense figures to be tested tonight against an explosive Tar Heel run-and-gun attack.
Another advantage working in Duke's favor could be the nature of the rivalry. No matter who has a better record, it seems as if either school is always capable of the upset. A win against UNC could make the Blue Devils' year.
"We're both first-year programs," Meyercord said. "We feel like, especially with the success they've had, we're constantly being compared to them. If we can win this game it would make everything worthwhile."
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