History was just 45 minutes away.
Up 2-0 at halftime, the women's soccer team had that much time separating it from handing the heralded Tar Heels just their second loss in ACC history and first since 1994.
But, as the Blue Devils found out, 45 minutes can be an eternity.
World Cup reserve Lorrie Fair's 19-yard, free-kick goal in the 76th minute capped a run of three unanswered second-half goals that clinched a 3-2 win for No. 2 North Carolina (13-2, 4-0 in the ACC) last night in Koskinen Stadium.
"It doesn't feel that good," Duke forward Sherrill Kester said. "When we were up 2-0, it was a lot more fun. I think in the beginning of the second half, we came out hard and tried to set a tone and keep the lead. And then it just kind of turned around."
Fair's goal finished off the Tar Heels' impressive comeback, which began in the 58th minute when Meredith Florance headed in a beautiful crossing pass to close the gap to one. Forty-nine seconds later, Fair stole the ball from Sarah Pickens and dished it out to Florance, who tied the game.
"We knew we were in a hole, but we knew we had 45 minutes," Fair said. "We didn't want to play panicked. We knew we were still in it, but we knew we had to scrape and drag ourselves back into it. We played with a lot more heart in the second half."
The comeback ruined what could have been a phenomenal night for Kester and Duke (9-7, 1-4). The senior, in perhaps her last game ever against UNC, scored two first-half goals on the Blue Devils' only two shots of the game.
In the 14th minute, Kester split two defenders while receiving a perfect pass from Pickens and booted the ball in the lower left corner of the goal. Carolina keeper Kristin DePlatchett dove and hit the ball off the left post and into the net.
Fifteen minutes later, Kester took a pass from Kim Daws, juked two defenders and drew DePlatchett out of the net. As the keeper approached, Kester made another move, got free and kicked the ball into an open net.
"She is one of the best players in the country," Carolina coach Anson Dorrance said of Kester. "I have always said that about her. It was just a remarkable performance on those two goals.... She's a very strong finisher."
But after the game, it was the shot she didn't finish that stuck out in Kester's mind. Ten minutes into the second half, Brigid Bowdell crossed the ball to a streaking Kester, who was in great position for the score. Kester barely got her foot on the ball and watched a great scoring opportunity go to waste.
"[As the pass came] I was saying, 'Oh my God, this is perfect,'" she said. "And then I missed. I couldn't believe it. I definitely shouldn't have missed that one."
Kester's potential third goal would have given the Blue Devils a 3-0 lead and may have effectively closed the door on the Tar Heels. Instead, Carolina stormed back three minutes later with two goals in less than 60 seconds. Kester said after the second goal, she felt a definite change in team morale.
"We definitely were still working as hard; we just let down a little bit everywhere," Kester said. "I think people just put their heads down."
Ironically, the Blue Devils probably had better scoring opportunities in the second half than they did in the first. Instead of sitting on the lead, Duke aggressively pursued a third score. Although the Blue Devils were not credited with a shot all half, they had several good looks.
"I'm just glad we had chances," Hempen said. "We didn't want to go into the last 45 minutes of the game having to defend for 45 minutes. I told them, 'If we have our chances, let's go in numbers. But if not, let's be safe.'"
North Carolina controlled play in the first half, especially in the game's first several minutes. Duke keeper Isis Dallis was up for the challenge, continually halting Tar Heel scoring chances as UNC launched a barrage of shots against the junior.
"Isis always seems to save her best for North Carolina," Hempen said of his keeper, who finished with 12 saves. "She was confident tonight, she was punching balls, she was off of the line, making some big plays outside of the box. That's what we want her to do all the time."
But when the dust was settled, it was yet another Blue Devil loss to their archrival down the road. Duke has now lost 26 of 27 games to the best program in the sport's history. The Blue Devils handed UNC its only conference loss in 1994, posting a 3-2 victory.
"They certainly outshot us, but I don't think it was that dominant a game," Hempen said. "We certainly had them scared to a degree."
Probably more so than that.
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