The women's lacrosse team looks to get back on track today at 3 p.m. against Virginia at Duke Lacrosse Stadium.
After narrowly losing consecutive games to No. 1 North Carolina and No. 10 William & Mary, the seventh-ranked Blue Devils (7-3, 1-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) are hoping to avert a three-game losing streak, and instead build some momentum for the upcoming ACC and NCAA Tournaments. The No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers (9-2, 0-2), seeking their first conference win, should prove to be a formidable opponent.
"This game is very important for us to get back to playing lacrosse and having fun," said Tricia Martin, Duke's leading goal scorer. "It's important for us not to worry about the press and the rankings."
The 'Hoos possess a balanced offensive attack which features five players that have accumulated more than 20 points. All-American Beth Potter leads the team with 30 points on 16 goals and 14 assists. Mia Mooney and Peggy Boutilier, the 1997 National Player of the year, share the team lead with 18 goals each. United States National Team member and All-American, Kara Ariza has tallied 17 goals and four assists.
The Cavalier defense is also top-notch, particularly in goal. Heather Castle's goals-against-average is among the best in the country. Her average of 6.67 goals allowed per game ranks seventh in the country in that category. Despite having such a good defense, one question remains to be answered.
Can anyone stop Duke's Martin?
The 5-foot-7 sophomore attacker from Huntington, N.Y. has been downright dominant this season. Martin is ninth in the nation with 3.4 goals per game and 10th in overall scoring at 4.7 points per game. She is also the ACC leader in both categories.
"Being so consistent has a lot to do with everyone else," Martin said. "Most of my goals are assisted-it all starts with someone else."
Although Martin will likely be named to All-Conference and All-American teams at season's end, she is not the only one on the team capable of offensive production.
Freshmen Courtney Rogers and Kate Soulier have made an immediate impact for Duke. Rogers has 15 goals and nine assists on the year, while Soulier has added 13 goals and nine assists to give the Blue Devils additional weapons on offense.
"Courtney and Kate have been huge for us," senior attacker Kristin Lonergan said. "They are not worried about the name across the other's teams jersey. They play like they did in high school and neither is afraid to take it to the goalie."
Duke's defense, despite the back-to-back losses, has been remarkable. The last team to score in double digits against Duke was Princeton back on March 15.
"Our defense is huge," Lonergan said. "They play very solid and have good communication and they shut down the star players from other teams. They are always ready to play and they start out attacking. They are fast and confident and not afraid to take it to the goalie."
Duke also boasts one of the best goalies in the country in Shannon Chaney, who ranks eighth in the nation with a 7.79 goals against average.
"We have a tremendous amount of confidence in Shannon," attacker Stacey Mon said. "She always shows up every game and she's always ready to play. That's why we have so much confidence in her."
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