The Carolina women's lacrosse team is like a hotel shower.
They're usually pretty good, but boy can they turn cold on you in a hurry. This season, the fifth-ranked Tar Heels (6-2, 2-0 in the ACC) have already knocked off five-time defending champion Maryland in a thrilling four-overtime game. They also dealt UVa its worst loss since last year's title game, thumping the Wahoos 13-5 in Charlottesville,Va.
But this is the same team that was embarrassed 13-5 by the Dukes of James Madison. They also lost to upstart Boston University 7-4, which is better known for its annual hockey Beanpot tournament than for its lacrosse excellence. So, when No. 3 Duke (5-2, 0-1) heads to Fetzer Field tonight at 7 p.m. for Duke-UNC Take One, it will be anybody's guess which Tar Heel squad will show up.
Part of the reason for the Heels' inconsistency this season can be attributed to the fact that they are a very young team. Eight of their top 15 players are freshmen and sophomores, and their main offensive weapon, Kellie Thompson, is a sophomore.
What is known, however, is how important this contest is for both clubs. A Duke win would keep the Blue Devils in the hunt to claim at least a share of the regular season title, while a loss could send them spiraling to the fourth seed in next month's ACC tournament.
"Last year's game definitely plays on our mind," North Carolina coach Jenny Slingluff said. "But Duke had a great team. We're not looking ahead to [a possible ACC title], but are taking it one game at a time. I think overall Duke is a great team and it'll be a great challenge for us."
Offensively, the Blue Devils feature a quintet of scorers who pose significant matchup problems for Carolina's inexperienced squad. Two-time All-American Tricia Martin, who has tallied 21 goals and six assists on the year, headlines this explosive group. The sophomore tandem of Kate Kaiser and Kelly Dirks have provided additional fireworks, combining for 31 goals and 37 total points.
Freshman sensation Lauren Gallagher has emerged as another reliable offensive weapon and has 18 points on the season. Gallagher is coming off of a career-high five-goal game against Georgetown Saturday. Oft-overlooked Kate Soulier remains a scoring threat, whether it be creating scoring opportunities for herself or her teammates. Soulier, second in school history in assists, leads the team in assists (13) and is second on the team in points (23).
Defensively, the Blue Devils have found a stopper in rookie Meghan Walters. Against the Hoyas, Walters held All-American Sheehan Stanwick to just two goals, one of which came on a free position shot. Walters will be called on to duplicate that performance on either Thompson or Meghann Mohler. The Carolina duo forms one of the best one-two scoring punches in the nation.
Thompson has 17 goals and nine assists on the year, while Mohler has found the back of the net 16 times to go along with her six dishes. Together, the duet account for 44 percent of the team's offensive production. Therefore, Duke's ability to stop one or both of the stars should go a long way in determining the outcome of the game.
If Duke has an Achilles' heel, it has been its poor shooting. In recent games, the Blue Devils have missed on numerous scoring opportunities, which could be costly against Carolina.
"Right now, we recognize that our shooting is not where it needs to be," Kimel said. "In the beginning of the year, we were shooting really well. And for whatever reason, right now we're not shooting as well as we'd like to be.
"We need to be 50 percent off our eight meters. That's the first step."
The Blue Devils hope their next step will be a victory against arch-rival North Carolina and that will be their motto tonight: To the next step.
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