If the women's soccer team hopes to make a run deep into the ACC Tournament this weekend in Orlando, Fla., it is probably going to need all of the magic from the Magic Kingdom to rub off.
Eighth-seeded Duke (7-10-2, 0-5-2 in the ACC) faces a tough test in the first round of the tournament today when it goes up against top-ranked North Carolina (18-0-0, 7-0-0) at 1 p.m. The Blue Devils, who lost 4-0 to the Tar Heels earlier this season, are seeking redemption for a disappointing season in which they did not live up to high expectations. Picked to finish second in the ACC before the season began, Duke muddled through its first-ever winless ACC regular season while plagued by injuries and an anemic offense.
All of those memories would be erased, however, if the Blue Devils could pick up a win against UNC, which has dominated women's soccer this season as it has nearly every season for the last two decades. The Tar Heels, who have won the ACC Tournament 10 times in its 11-year existence, are clearly favored to take home the hardware again this year.
"If we play our best game [today], win or lose, it'll make up for our whole season," Duke midfielder Kasey Truman said.
Playing such a formidable opponent in the first round might actually work to the Blue Devils' advantage. As coach Bill Hempen points out, recent history has shown that to win the ACC Tournament, a team has to go through UNC, and he would rather play the Tar Heels in the first round while his team is fresh than later on in the bracket.
"If we can beat them, then we can win the ACC Tournament," Truman echoed. "The No. 1 team will be out of the way."
Fresh or tired, playing UNC is no easy task. The Tar Heels are once again stacked with a deep, talented team and a 63-game unbeaten streak. The key to this has been the miserly play of their defense, which has allowed only five goals all season. Their offense, which averages 4.1 goals per game, isn't too shabby either.
To beat the Tar Heels, the Blue Devils must get their own offense back in order. Duke is ranked last in the ACC in scoring offense, averaging only 1.1 goals per game.
"We need to capitalize on our chances," Truman said. "UNC is very strong, and when we can get down on their end, we just need to put the ball away. We've been working on direct kicks and indirect kicks a lot and hopefully if we get fouled in the box, then we'll be able to put those away as well.
"[North Carolina] is not going to respect us at all. They're already going to be thinking about winning the NCAAs."
In the end, Duke travels to the home of Disney World with a season's worth of dreams riding on one game.
"You hear it from every coach here," Hempen said. "It doesn't matter if you've not won a game at all. If you can somehow beat Carolina, your life is set."
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