Young women’s soccer players grow up either loving or hating North Carolina, junior Kate Seibert said. Those who end up at Duke learn to detest the elite program the day they arrive in Durham.
In front of what is likely to be a large raucous crowd in Chapel Hill, the Blue Devils will try to do something they have only done once: beat UNC.
No. 15 Duke (12-5, 5-3 in the ACC) enters the 7 p.m. matchup against the nation’s top-ranked team, North Carolina (15-0-1, 8-0-0), coming off a 1-0 overtime loss to Maryland Saturday.
Despite the defeat, head coach Robbie Church said his team has been playing well and the recent ACC losses have come primarily because of missed opportunities. Currently fourth in the ACC standings, Duke’s tournament seeding will likely depend on the outcome of Thursday’s game.
The Tar Heels, known for their high-powered offense, play three forwards, who hound the ball in their opponent’s territory. The Blue Devils will aggressively go after loose balls to prevent UNC from getting easy shots deep in Duke’s end.
“Their three forwards are what Carolina’s reputation is—they pressure you like no one else pressures you,” Church said. “They take you out of your rhythm of play. They want you to get out of your rhythm of play. They work very hard.”
The combination of North Carolina forwards Heather O’Reilly, who ranks third in the ACC with 11 goals, and Jaime Gilbert, who has eight scores of her own, will present a formidable attack for the Blue Devil defense. O’Reilly and teammate Lindsay Tarpley played on the gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic team this summer in Athens.
Although the players are cognizant of the threat the Tar Heel offense poses, they have spent more time concentrating on their own execution.
“First and foremost we’re focusing on ourselves and making sure that we don’t let the fact that they are the best team in the country intimidate us,” Seibert said. “At least we’re an older team this year so we know that we can compete with them, as opposed to a young team when it’s easy to be intimidated by the team you’ve grown up aspiring towards.”
UNC also plays a very compact defense with three defenders, a style that Duke has not seen often this year. Church has been pointing out potential weaknesses in the Tar Heels’ defense, which uses its quickness and athleticism to limit its opponents’ opportunities. Church said he wants to make sure Duke has a plan when it gets its scoring chances.
“We just need to remember that they are very athletic and fast,” Seibert said. “We have to make sure that we play our style but we play quick, and that we don’t throw the ball down too much and let their athleticism take the game away.”
The only time that Duke has beaten the Tar Heels was in 1994, but just two years ago the teams battled to a scoreless tie at North Carolina. The eventual undefeated national champions shut out the Blue Devils 4-0 in Durham during the regular season and won 6-1 in the semifinals of the ACC Championships in 2004.
Even though North Carolina lost five of its starters this year, it finds itself in a familiar position atop the national rankings.
“It’s never a down year at Carolina,” Church said. “You always enjoy competing against the best.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.