hese days, Isis Dallis feels she has a lot to prove.
As the women's soccer team closes practice on another steamy Durham afternoon, Dallis flings her 5-foot-7 frame from one end of the goal to another in a rapid-fire drill, punching shots away in every direction.
When the drill ends, not a single ball has reached the back of the net. Dallis pauses to catch her breath, but the focused look in her eyes remains. She is not easily satisfied, even after such a dazzling exhibition.
Things were simpler, perhaps even easier, just two years ago for the acrobatic goalkeeper who soared to the 1997 ACC Rookie of the Year award. There were incredible highs that year, like a fiery performance against North Carolina that earned praise from legendary Tar Heel coach Anson Dorrance as the best he'd ever seen from a freshman keeper.
At times during a rookie year which saw her make 16 starts and earn Soccer News All-Freshman Team honors, it was easy to assume that Dallis was a star in the making.
There was just one problem: she was in way over her head.
"As a freshman keeper, you're so naive," Dallis said. "You're playing against girls who are four years older than you, and high school soccer is such a completely different game.
"Even with starting a lot freshman year, you don't realize how much comes with experience."
For Dallis, that experience came the hard way. The athletic ability and youthful exuberance which had combined to produce a superb rookie campaign both seemed to run out at the same time.
First, Dallis tore the medial collateral ligament in her left knee over the summer of 1998. Then she stumbled out of the gate with several sloppy early-season performances, losing playing time to senior Dana Piper, whom Dallis had edged out of the starting lineup for much of 1997.
The sophomore slump was on.
"It was certainly a matter of confidence," Dallis said looking back. "Physically, I was fit and able to do anything
"But psychologically, it was: Should I shy off from this a little? Am I going to go as hard as I can with this tackle? Am I really strong enough? Am I going to be sitting on the bench for a couple of weeks if I mess up?"
The questions swirled in Dallis' head and the lost confidence showed in her play. A stellar goals against average of 1.53 in '97 jumped to an unhealthy 2.41 last year.
Worst of all, says coach Bill Hempen, Dallis' trepidation resulted in some "soft goals," something the low-scoring Blue Devils could hardly afford.
"You can't do that at this level," Hempen said. "When you're trying to play the kind of teams that we're trying to play, you can't say, 'Oh, I'll get the next one.' We had to fight and scratch for every goal last year."
It didn't help that injuries decimated the Blue Devils' back line, making every loose ball an adventure for Dallis and Piper, who never got acquainted with a consistent lineup.
The result was a 7-11-2 record which marked just the second losing season in the program's 11-year history.
No one took things harder than Dallis, who realized she still had a lot to learn.
"When you come in as a freshman and you are fortunate enough to do some good things that contribute a bit," Dallis said, "you kind of expect that every year you are going to improve on it.
"Last year was certainly, if not a step backwards, it was definitely a leveling off. When you're someone who wants to play selflessly and contribute as much as you can, and you realize you're not getting the job done, it's disappointing."
But things have changed a lot since a tough loss to North Carolina ended the Blue Devils' season Nov. 5, halting a six-year run to the NCAA tournament.
For starters, Dallis is free of the knee injuries that plagued her before each of her first two seasons. And much more significantly, Piper has graduated,
Dallis understands her role thoroughly, and it's that security that could turn things around for her and the Blue Devils.
"Right now she's as confident and sure of herself as I've seen," Hempen said. "She's certainly as focused as she's ever been. She's concentrating all the time.
"There's very little fluff going on in that brain."
Dallis credits much of her development to Piper, who made up in soccer smarts what she lacked in athletic ability.
"As far as wisdom and knowledge of the game, she was years ahead [of me]," Dallis said. "I made sure to learn as much from her as I could while she was here."
Nowadays, Dallis is all business, even with a pair of reporters after practice. She speaks deliberately, explaining exactly what she has learned and where she is headed.
She makes no excuses for last year's performance, instead focusing on where she can improve.
"You say to yourself, I have two more years left, I have to make up for whatever was lost last year and show people that freshman year wasn't a fluke and that there's still something left in me," Dallis said.
That much is evident to everyone on the practice fields this afternoon.
Dallis has the reflexes and size to cover the net as well as any keeper Duke has seen in years. Physical ability has never been a question. The internal growth that Dallis talks about, however, won't be measured in height or quickness. Rather, the transition from wide-eyed freshman to veteran team leader will be judged in wins and losses.
Getting back to the NCAA tournament is goal No. 1. And Dallis' leadership will be crucial.
"As a goalkeeper, when you're a freshman or a sophomore you think leadership is going to come from someone older," Dallis said. "But you realize that in this game, as a starter you need to be a leader, whether you are a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior."
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