With the biggest weekend of the fall portion of Carlyle Cup competition now just one day away, the sterling silver trophy that was supposed to elevate the greatest rivalry in college sports to a new feverish pitch is apparently relying on a rusty advertising campaign.
When Duke's field hockey team hits the Williams Field turf Sunday, North Carolina will have the first opportunity to snatch a permanent three points in the Carlyle Cup standings. But far from sending fear or consternation into the hearts of Blue Devil fans around campus, the possibility of falling behind the Tar Heels isn't even registering with the University's athletes.
"That won't be on anyone's mind, or at least I hope it won't," said junior midfielder Angie North, who went on to say that it would be an "added bonus" to prevent UNC from taking the three points but that was by no means the main agenda.
In addition to the field hockey team's game against UNC Sunday, both soccer teams will play their arch-nemeses this weekend, beginning with the women's soccer team's attempt to end a nine-game-losing streak to the Tar Heels tomorrow night in Chapel Hill.
While all three teams will be more than motivated for the newest chapter in the Tobacco Road rivalry, the overwhelming percentage of players polled on those teams not only didn't think the cup would add to the intensity of the already fiercely competitive games, they hardly knew the Carlyle Cup existed.
"No, I have no idea [what it is]," Carly Fuller, a sophomore midfielder for the women's soccer team said. "I don't think much of our team really knows about it. I don't think it changes the rivalry at all."
Field hockey forward Chrissy Ashley confirmed that sentiment, as did several others. Ashley only recently learned what the Carlyle Cup was and she said that it hasn't yet been mentioned by the coaches or players in a single practice.
"Having the cup doesn't actually make a difference in how hard you come out to play," she added.
Women's soccer coach Bill Hempen acknowledged the primary focus the past couple weeks has been gearing up for each individual opponent and trying to increase the stakes of a Duke-UNC contest just hasn't been a top priority.
"I had that discussion with [men's soccer coach John] Rennie," Hempen said. "I don't know that our kids know that it's part of the competition because we haven't mentioned it yet. I'll have to make sure they understand this. It's not a big deal right now, but it probably should be."
Hempen added that once the players understand the cup's significance, it will only sweeten and make bigger than ever an already outstanding competition. Right now, however, it appears that the veteran coach and his peers will have a tough sell to make to their players.
Plain and simple, with almost no exceptions, the athletes all agreed: there's just no way to make a rivalry this big any bigger. Carlyle Cup or not, it's still Duke against North Carolina, and that's what matters to the players.
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