On a Tuesday night in Winston-Salem earlier this season, the field hockey team hit its low point. Coming off a convincing win over James Madison and two close losses to North Carolina, the Blue Devils were confident that they would put away their first ACC victory against Wake Forest.
After all, they had beaten the Demon Deacons six times in a row.
But something went wrong. Duke (10-9, 0-4 in the ACC) came out flat and disjointed, losing 3-0. And Wake Forest (10-8, 1-3) came away with its most significant victory of the season.
Today, in the play-in game of the ACC Tournament, the No. 13 Blue Devils have their chance at revenge. At 2 p.m. in Charlottesville, Va., Duke and No. 20 Wake Forest will fight for the chance to continue their season.
"They played us hard when we were at Wake, but I know our team can play a lot better," said coach Liz Tchou. "I know it will be a hard-fought battle; it always is. We really have nothing to lose."
Duke and Wake Forest almost always face each other in the play-in game to the tournament, because Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia are traditionally at the top of nation.
For the past four years, the Blue Devils have defeated the Demon Deacons to advance in the tournament. This year, since Duke split the series with Wake Forest, the play-in game is wide open.
"Anything can happen," Tchou said. "You could throw a coin for this game."
If Duke gets past the play-in game, it would face No. 1-seeded Virginia on Friday. The Blue Devils are looking forward to taking on the Cavaliers again, after leading through most of the first half when the teams faced off Saturday. The winner of that game plays Sunday against the winner of the game between No. 2-seeded Maryland and third-seeded North Carolina. But Duke is not thinking past Wake Forest.
"We're not looking ahead," Tchou said. "We're definitely staying in the present."
With their NCAA Tournament hopes slim unless they win the automatic bid that comes with the conference championship, the Blue Devils see a win today as imperative.
"We don't want the season to end," Tchou said. "We don't think we've played our best games yet. We think we have the ability to beat Wake Forest and play in the ACC Championships. They know their potential."
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