After snapping No. 1 Wake Forest's 31-game winning streak and upsetting then-No. 3 Maryland, the field hockey team (11-2, 1-2 in the ACC) is poised to take on yet another challenge: North Carolina.
"Our thinking was to get a big win in a big game," head coach Beth Bozman said. "Beating Maryland the way we did was good for us. It told us that what we've been doing was right. There's nothing that boosts confidence like winning. Last weekend showed us what we're capable of doing, but it doesn't get any easier from here."
And she's right, as the Blue Devils take on No. 2 UNC Saturday and No. 16 William & Mary Sunday. Though William & Mary (9-3) has a strong team, Duke is much more concerned about the game against the Tar Heels. Duke, who has not beaten UNC since 1981, is in an excellent position to break the streak. Other than Wake Forest, North Carolina (13-1, 2-1) is the only team to defeat Duke this season.
"The game we played against UNC [earlier this season] was a turnaround point for us," junior Johanna Bischof said. "It was the first game we lost that we didn't deserve to win and so, after, we came together collectively to fix a lot of things that didn't go well in that game. How we played last weekend will really help us against UNC."
With comparable offenses, both teams' games were heavily dependent on the strength of their defense.
"The problem with the last game [against UNC] was our transition from offense to defense," Bozman said. "Our zone was collapsing."
However, last week's games prove that the Blue Devils have indeed improved their defensive game.
"This time, we want to deny [UNC] the ball and stop them from their fast breaks," Grant said. "Their fast breaks are probably the biggest threat."
According to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association's website, UNC boasts the strongest offense in the nation. The team has amassed 70 goals and 192 points this season, while leading the nation with five goals per game. The team has conference leaders in Rachel Dawson and Kelsey Keeran, who both have 35 points each. Dawson is also second in the nation in goals with 17. The Tar Heels' Laura Douglas also leads the nation with 17 assists, one more than Duke's Bischof.
This is not to say Duke lacks any offensive strength. Grant leads the team with 33 points, while Bischof leads the nation in assists per game, averaging 1.23. Gracie Sorbello and Bischof both have 26 points on the year, rounding off the top 10 in the ACC. However, it is not the effort of individual players that has brought Duke its wins--the success on the field has been a collective effort, as the players work together as a single cohesive body.
"Our team is great," Grant said. "It's like a big unit. It shows on the field how well we get along. We play well because we have a strong connection that helps us communicate better."
The game will also feature a battle of goalies: Duke's Christy Morgan and UNC's Katy Tran. Morgan, who was recently named ACC Player of the Week, recorded 24 saves last weekend, including a career-high 16 against Wake Forest.
"She really deserved [Player of the Week recognition]," Bozman said. "When a player scores a goal, they say she wins the game, but Christy won those games [last weekend] for us."
The Tar Heels also know what it is like to have a strong goalkeeper. Tran has the third-highest save percentage in the nation and leads the ACC at 85 percent. She also leads the conference with seven shutouts.
"We got two big wins under our belts and that raises our general confidence," senior Kim Gogola said. "We just want to continue doing well. We're just going into it like any other game, though."
While UNC rolled through its last games against Appalachian State and No. 20 Virginia, Duke has just come off of a couple of well-earned and hard-fought wins over two of the top teams in the nation. UNC's game against Duke begins a tough stretch for the Tar Heels, who will subsequently face ACC powerhouses Wake Forest--who handed UNC their sole loss of the season--and Maryland.
"We know [UNC] really well," Bischof said. "And we're ready for them. It'll come down to who wants it more this weekend, and we have a lot of motivation to win."
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