The season is young, but Sunday's home contest against Maryland is as critical as any. Not only would a win mean another early season confidence boost, but it would give the Blue Devils an early lead in their quest for a first-ever ACC crown.
And after a pair of strong performances last weekend to open the season 2-0, the fourth-ranked Blue Devils will try to upset the No. 2 Terrapins (1-0) Sunday at noon. The game, which was originally scheduled for Friday night, has been postponed until Sunday due to the expected inclement weather. Duke was originally slated to play No. 20 Johns Hopkins Sunday at noon, but that contest will be pushed back until April 18th.
The Blue Devils have had some success against the nation's most dominant program under the direction of former Maryland All-American and current Duke head coach Kerstin Kimel. The Blue Devils are 2-2 all-time at home against a Terps team that has a .895 winning percentage in fourteen seasons under head coach Cindy Timchal.
Playing in the nation's most competitive conference, the matchup will be the ACC opener for both squads. But with only three regular season ACC contests, this game is no warm-up as a loss would severely damage the Blue Devils' hopes of winning the conference.
However, a victory, Besides likely boosting Duke in the polls, would prove to the nation that the Blue Devils are more than just a young and talented squad.
And, if the previous two contests between Duke and Maryland are any indication, Sunday's matchup could come down to the final minutes. When the teams last met in Durham, the Blue Devils edged the Terps 9-8. Last season's game in College Park went into overtime and also resulted in a 9-8 win for the home team.
Through their first two games this season, the Blue Devils have been an offensive juggernaut, scoring 32 goals during those contests.
Maryland's defense will likely pose more of a defensive challenge for a Duke attack that is young and unaccustomed to facing a high caliber defense.
Freshman Michelle Menser has led the way for Kimel's squad tallying seven goals. Joining Menser, both standout sophomore Katie Chrest and senior Corinne Broesler had hat tricks in each of the season's first two games. Chrest and 2003 second team All-American Meghan Miller, were named to the 2004 Tewaarton Trophy watch list.
Freshman Kristin Waagbo has been putting her teammates in position to score with precise passing. The Ellicott City, Md., native has assisted on six Blue Devil goals and has scored three of her own.
The Terps have a more experienced offensive core including midfielder Kelly Coppedge. The senior, who is among the pair of Maryland standouts named Wednesday to the Tewaaraton Trophy watch list, paced her team with three goals in the season opener. Freshman attack Jessica Dorney also added a hat trick in her first career game.
Maryland also got off to a hot start offensively in its 16-6 season-opening victory over Richmond. The Terps jumped on the Spiders early, scoring seven of the first eight goals.
The early stages of Sunday's contest could be a perilous time for Duke. The Blue Devils started slowly during their home opener against Northwestern and trailed the Wildcats by three at the beginning of last Sunday's contest. Only after a timeout did the Blue Devils begin to run their sets effectively. Consequently, the high-octane Maryland attack could punish Duke if it fails to play strong from the start.
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