Women's soccer finally limps home

The way the things have gone for the women's soccer team, you'd think coach Bill Hempen would be floored if his team played an entire game without having to deal with an injury.

After losing senior Emily Feeney in the preseason, sophomore captain Kasey Truman two weeks ago and freshman Brigid Bowdell last Sunday, Duke will be without the services of junior midfielder Liz Speights in its first two ACC matches this weekend.

Speights, who scored her first career goal last Sunday against Colorado, sustained a concussion during the game and will sit out the next week and a half. On the eve of Duke's home and ACC openers against Virginia (2-2) tomorrow and Maryland (2-4) Sunday afternoon, that sort of news doesn't exactly bring a smile to Hempen's face.

"We are on course with win a game, lose a player, still," Hempen said.

That might not be a plan Hempen wants to stick with for much longer-the eighth-ranked Blue Devils (5-1) are quickly running out of players. Truman will not play this weekend and Bowdell remains day-to-day, meaning the five-freshmen line-up Hempen trotted out against Colorado looks to get even younger against the Cavaliers.

And none of the youngsters on this year's squad can tell you what it's like to win an ACC game. The Blue Devils were winless in the ACC last season, including a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Virginia.

Led by the program's all-time leader scorer, Angela Hucles, who was named one of 15 preseason candidates for player of the year this season, the Cavaliers have already beaten perennial powerhouse Portland 2-0 earlier this season and were ranked as high as No. 13 earlier this season before dropping a 2-1 decision to James Madison.

"We have a lot of respect for Virginia; we expect a battle like we do every time out when we play someone in our league," Hempen said. "We are certainly not overlooking Virginia; we have no reason to overlook anybody."