Walbert propelled women's soccer into spotlight

Bill Hempen still has the game tape.

The tape is from 1992, when freshman Kelly Walbert introduced herself to the women's soccer world. The video shows a shot that thrust Duke into national prominence and the ensuing celebration that Hempen still says is one of the best he's ever seen.

In the 80th minute of a scoreless tie with Hartford, Walbert drilled in a header that would prove to be the game-winner and would advance Duke to the finals in the school's first ever NCAA tournament. The pandemonium that followed still remains fresh in the minds of all involved.

"I've kept very few tapes of games from the past, but that's one I keep, because I just love her reaction after she scored the goal," Hempen said with a smile. "There was a major knee slide, pile-up on the end with a great crowd reaction."

Walbert's reaction and celebration of the goal best epitomize her playing career- always successful, always fun. When she was out on the field, she was having the time of her life.

She was a three time All-America selection and an ACC player of the year. She is still Duke's all-time leader in points, goals and shots and is No. 2 all time in assists. But her impact cannot be measured in accolades or stats.

The best way to judge Walbert's career is to look at the program before she came and look at the program after she left. Her freshman season marked the Blue Devils' first-ever NCAA tourney bid, kicking off a string of six straight years in the postseason that ended last year.

Quite simply, Kelly Walbert helped put Duke on the map.

"It was an absolutely phenomenal feeling," Walbert said. "I remember so many times looking on the sidelines and seeing the people on the bench laying on the ground next to the sidelines because they were so nervous they couldn't look; people were hovering against one another on the bench.

"There was a feeling of, 'we can do this as a team,' and to me, that was truly special. Some of these people are my best friends still to this day that played with me in that game. To be able to accomplish something like that with the people you really care about the most, that's kind of why I wanted to play a team sport and be a part of it."

Hempen remembers that game well, but specifically remembers the performance of his star.

"Kelly was everywhere," the coach said. "She was in the back heading balls out, she was up front holding defenders off, she was all over the place because she could sense we were about to do something pretty special."

Special is a word often used to describe Walbert's career, but it was a career that started on an unusual note. While narrowing her choices between Duke, Santa Clara and Notre Dame, Walbert told Hempen that if she got into Duke, she would definitely become a Blue Devil.

When Hempen heard the good news from the admissions office, he called his new star player to welcome her to Duke. When she said she still had to weigh all of her options, Hempen was a little concerned.

"I said, 'What?! What do you mean? Didn't you tell me that you were going to come if you got into school?!'" Hempen explains. "And she just started crying. 'I didn't think you would put me under that pressure.' And I'm shaking on the other end thinking, 'Oh nooo,' because obviously she was a big-time player.... I guess I freaked her out a little bit."

But in the end, it all worked out for Hempen and Walbert, who still remain in close contact. In fact, the two have formed a bit of a coaching rivalry now that Walbert is an assistant coach at Wake Forest.

And even though Walbert's competitive nature wants to beat Hempen and the Blue Devils, there is no denying the place Duke has in her heart.

"Me going to Duke was the best decision I ever made in my life," Walbert said. "You get all emotional just thinking about it. I've saved my very first warm-up jacket I had from Duke. It's kind of a 1970s style and I think about my daughter someday running around in it and it makes me emotional to think about it. I'm more proud about my four years there than I have ever been about anything.... I feel truly blessed."

And in the case of Duke soccer, the feeling is mutual.