Two and a half weeks ago things looked very good for the women's soccer team. With a record of 5-2 and fresh off an upset of the then No. 15 Florida Gators, the Blue Devils appeared to be poised for a breakout season.
But recently, the squad has hit a speed bump in the road to success. Duke has now dropped four straight contests--including Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss to Clemson. However, with all of their losses coming by just a single goal, the Blue Devils remain confident of their talent.
"I don't think we're discouraged," said sophomore goalie Katie Straka, who has alternated play this season with 2001 first team All-ACC netminder Thora Helgadottir. "Mistakes happen, so we have to look forward to the next goal or play a bit higher pressure defense."
The Blue Devils must now regroup in order to face off against a difficult remaining schedule.
First up will be tonight's home matchup with 17th-ranked Florida State (7-2-2, 1-0 in the ACC), against whom the Blue Devils (5-6, 0-2) squandered a two-goal lead in last season's bitter 3-2 overtime defeat. The Seminoles will likely challenge the Blue Devil defense with a successful ball-control attack.
"Florida State will play underneath you," Duke head coach Robbie Church said. "They're not as quick and fast up front but they are very strong on the ball. They have a number of forwards that are very opportunistic, that can score goals."
Unlike the Blue Devils, who prefer to play just three midfielders along with attacking forwards, FSU employs a wing-based 4-4-2 system, which so far has propelled the Seminoles to an average of more than two goals per game.
Duke enters the matchup with a potent offensive attack of its own, having scored 25 goals in just 11 games, only one goal fewer than its total from all of last season. The Blue Devils feel they can do better, however, citing many missed opportunities.
"We have done a poor job at placement of shots," Church said. "We've really done a great job at making goalkeepers look really good."
Most disappointing to Church, however, has been his squad's inability to put teams away. Friday's loss to Clemson marked the second time Duke has failed to make a 2-0 first half lead hold up.
"The one thing I think that we haven't actually done is that we haven't broken teams' spirits," Church said. "When we are up 2-0, we've given a goal up late in the first half."
Having let potential victories slip away, the Blue Devils must now focus on winning their remaining games to fulfill their NCAA Tournament aspirations.
"There's a new rule out there--a lot of people call it the 'Duke rule' because [we] got in at 8-9 last year--that you have to have a .500 or better record to get into the NCAA Tournament," Church said. "We're at the point where we have to win, and [Florida State] is a very important match.
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