It's almost too easy to look back on the field hockey team's season and characterize it as a disappointment. After all, the Blue Devils failed to make the NCAA Tournament, a standard bearer for success they set following last year's finish as one of the top 12 teams in the country.
Despite the disappointments, the Blue Devils feel they achieved a degree of success during their 11-9 campaign.
Coach Liz Tchou and her players feel that this squad was more talented and tactically better than last year's version. Duke couldn't sneak up on teams as it did a year ago, because the Blue Devils were no longer an overlooked opponent.
"I definitely expected to go to the tournament," senior Cyndi Breyer said. "I thought we had more talent this year than we did last year. We just came up short in a few games we definitely could've won, and that was the difference."
Indeed, an extra win or two and the Blue Devils would be preparing for another game this weekend instead of talking about what could've been. But that big win never came.
The split in Duke's record is remarkable. The Blue Devils were 11-0 against non-tournament qualifiers, and 0-9 against those who'll participate in the NCAAs this upcoming week.
Most of Duke's wins came easily, highlighted by a 9-1 thrashing of Wake Forest on Oct. 7, but the Blue Devils were unable to pull off the big upset, like they did last year in wins over Maryland and Virginia.
With the exception of a 2-1 overtime loss to the third-ranked Cavaliers in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament last weekend, Duke couldn't challenge the big three in the ACC as it did in '96. The Blue Devils closely-battled Princeton, James Madison and Boston College but always fell a goal or two short.
"I was really happy with the way we played," Tchou said. "I think the only period of time where we were having trouble was when we were playing the top teams in the country. We just didn't pull those games out. We get one win against a team in top five, and we're in the tournament. That's the one thing we didn't do."
But the Blue Devils feel that they took a step forward in '97. While the results weren't as apparent, Duke is hoping the progress shows over the next few years. In her first season, Tchou focused on making her players believe in winning and in each other.
This year, the Blue Devils honed in on the details such as communication, stick handling and passing that are necessary to overcome the better teams. In addition, the players learned more about the game itself.
"I'm disappointed we didn't make the tournament," Tchou said. "But I feel like we've gotten better, especially in our game sense; in the players' knowledge and vision on the field. That's a huge improvement from last year. We're trying to make them students of the game. It's got to be more than playing with heart."
And a considerable chunk of the team's heart won't be back next season. The departure of Melissa Panasci is obvious, but an equally big loss is Breyer's, who not only set Duke's single-season assist record but brought invaluable leadership.
"She's hilarious," Tchou said. "Each of the seniors brought something to the team. I know Cyndi was a strength for me. She just plays with a lot of heart. I talked to a lot of the ACC coaches, and they all just complimented Cyndi about how they were going to miss her. She's been a major force in the conference, dominating at times.
"Her relationship with other players was real strong. She was very good at analyzing the group and knowing what the team needs. She could talk to the group before I needed to do it and get everyone focused."
Without Breyer, Panasci, Mandy Schott and Grace Barada, Duke will look to a core of players to step up. Defensively, led by Maureen Denney and Trina Santomauro, the Blue Devils shouldn't miss a beat.
Offensively, there is more of a question. Panasci and Breyer were Duke's combination all year long on corners, and Tchou is unsure who will fill in. But she expects scorers such as Mary Jo Reider, Emily Ford and Corey Ceccolini to help replace the over 20 goals per game Panasci has averaged in the last three seasons.
"I think we're going to be good next year," Tchou said. "Melissa and Cyndi are irreplaceable with the things they offer, but I think people are going to step up. We really have to work hard in the spring."
For now, though, the Blue Devils are forced to face the reality of a year that ended far sooner than they expected. The ACC was stronger and Duke was more of a known commodity, but the disappointment can't be instantly erased.
"Except for Boston College, we won every game that we had to win," Breyer said. "We just didn't win the ones against some of the top teams. I guess that happens sometimes."
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