Bruised and battered is no way to head into a must-win situation. But then again, Duke's field hockey team has no choice. The Blue Devils, trying to shake the effects of various ailments and of a 5-0 loss to North Carolina on Wednesday, will travel to No. 2 Virginia Saturday in a game that means everything to their postseason hopes.
At 10-8 on the season (2-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference), Duke is very much on the bubble for an NCAA tournament bid.
A win Saturday in the final game of the regular season would almost definitely cement a bid for the Blue Devils, who dropped a tough 2-1 decision to the Cavaliers earlier in the season.
"We have to win to be in [the tournament]," Senior Jodie Taylor said. "We're just going to go all out. We have to stay focused... [and] go right at them."
That all-out approach was evident Wednesday night against the Tar Heels, but hustle alone was not enough to overcome the defending national champions.
The Blue Devils aggressive attack rung up 22 shots on goal, but failed to sneak a single one by North Carolina goalie Jana Withrow.
The emotional loss clearly took a toll on the Blue Devils, who afterwards sported more ice-packs than Dennis Rodman sports tattoos. To make matters worse, several team members are battling with illness.
But with just one game left in the regular season, Duke doesn't have time to lick its wounds.
Virginia enters the game with an impressive 17-2 record (5-2 ACC), having lost twice to the top-ranked Tar Heels.
The Cavs are currently riding a six-game winning streak, and are led by sophomore scoring machine Meridith Thorpe.
Thorpe, an All-America selection last year as a freshman, has tallied an awesome 30 goals on the season, and continued her rapid pace with a hat trick in Virginia's 9-1 thrashing of Virginia Commonwealth Wednesday.
She also scored in the first meeting against Duke. Stopping Thorpe will be job one for the Blue Devils as they look for the upset.
"They have a lot of speed down the center," Duke coach Liz Tchou said. "[We'll] probably try to keep the ball outside, away from [Thorpe] and the middle."
Duke will also focus on better offensive balance and a quick start.
"Virginia is an emotional team," Tchou said. "We [need to] get on them right away and out-muscle them in the first period."
Large gaps between midfielders and forwards repeatedly slowed the Blue Devils' attack against North Carolina, and better spacing will be crucial in Saturday's contest. Tchou hopes to minimize Virginia's strengths with aggressive play from the opening whistle. But just how much aggression is left in the Blue Devils after three games in five days remains to be seen.
"It's the toughest conference in the country-I don't care what anybody says," Tchou said. "But we'll take that kind of competition any day. We have the skill and we have the ability to come away with the upset."
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