Duke has a chance to do something no other collegiate team has ever done against North Carolina-beat them twice in one season.
After beating fifth-seeded Boston College, 2-0, in the first round of the ACC Championship Wednesday, the fourth-seeded Blue Devils (13-4-1) are set to take on the top seeded Tar Heels (18-1) tonight at 5 p.m. at the SAS Soccer Complex in Cary, N.C.
Duke staged an improbable 2-1 upset in front of 3,487 stunned Tar Heel fans in the two teams' first meeting Oct. 9. The loss was UNC's first regular season loss in 41 games and its first home loss since 1999. It was also only the second time Duke had ever beaten North Carolina in 30 tries.
Midfielder Rebecca Moros was the hero of the first game between the heated rivals, scoring two goals, including the game winner with just 3 minutes left in the contest.
The Blue Devils fully expect the Tar Heels to be seeking vengeance in tonight's match.
"Every time we play Carolina, we have that drive of wanting to beat Carolina," junior Sarah McCabe said. "This time, they have a reason to have that intensity right back."
Duke will be led into the match by captain Carolyn Ford, who was recently named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
"I'm so glad that she's on my team," head coach Robbie Church said of Ford following Duke's 10th shutout of the year Wednesday. "[The award] was fully justified. Every time we step on the field, I'm glad to know that she's on my side."
The senior has been key to the Blue Devils' defensive success and is also a respected leader among her teammates.
"She demands the best out of everyone," midfielder Darby Kroyer said. "She kicks our butts in practice. I think that she is the best organizer on the team."
Kroyer is currently tied for the Blue Devil lead with 12 points this season, including a team-high five goals. Duke is 4-1 in games in which she scores.
If Duke can pull off another unlikely win tonight, they will face either second-seeded Florida State or third-seeded Virginia in the finals.
This year is the first time since 1999 that all four top seeds in the ACC Championship have advanced to the semifinals. All four teams are also ranked in the top 12 in the country.
"That's why all of us players came to ACC schools," said forward Sarah McCabe. "It's for opportunities like that to play against the best teams in the country."
Duke could be the first team to knock North Carolina out of the conference tournament before the finals since the event was established in 1987. Though no college team has ever defeated the Tar Heels twice in a season, the Virginia Select club team beat them three times in 1980 and the McLean Grasshoppers won twice in 1979.
The Tar Heels have won sixteen of the eighteen ACC Championships that have taken place. They lost to N.C. State in 1988 and Virginia last year. Both losses came in shootouts, and UNC has never lost a tournament game in regulation. Despite the difficult odds stacked against them, the Blue Devils are set on making history tonight.
"I think it's going to be a great atmosphere, a really competitive atmosphere," McCabe said. "Everyone's going to have to bring their best game."
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