Thrust in the mix of what players and coaches call an extremely difficult schedule, Saturday1s home-opener against Appalachian St. is a game the field hockey team can ill-afford to lose.
Duke (0-1) takes on the Mountaineers in a 1 p.m. contest at the East Campus Turf Fields.
3We1re preparing as if it1s the national championship,2 Duke coach Liz Tchou said.
The Blue Devils dropped their season opener, 6-4, to James Madison last Saturday. In that game, senior Melissa Panasci scored three goals but Duke was unable to find an equalizer in the last 25 minutes of the game.
With a tough road weekend looming on the horizon against Lehigh and Princeton, the Blue Devils are looking to use this game to fine-tune some of the flaws they found during last Saturday1s loss.
3This is probably the most important week of work as far as our preparation,2 Tchou said. 3There are definitely some things we1ll work on against Appalachian State. We1re going to go after them like we would any team.2
Saturday1s game gives the Blue Devils an opportunity to give their young defense more on-the-field experience.
Duke1s defensive rotation includes two freshmen and sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Doherty.
The Mountaineers opened their season on Tuesday with a 4-0 shutout of Catawba.
This contest and a Thursday game at Wake Forest loom as the most difficult matches on Appalachian State1s schedule.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.