North Carolina boasts arguably the best player in the country, the winningest coach in women's college soccer history and the No. 2 ranking in the nation.
Coming off a 3-0 rout over N.C. State Sunday, however, No. 24 Duke is playing its best soccer of the year. With a looming matchup against the Tar Heels (12-1, 4-0 in the ACC) Sunday at 2 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium, the Blue Devils (7-4-1, 3-1) are peaking at just the right time.
"I feel really good about where we are right now," head coach Robbie Church said. "We're improving-we can get better and we will get better, but I think we're playing at a pretty good level right now."
The team's solid play of late comes at a critical point in the season. The Blue Devils are entering one of their toughest stretches of the year-they play UNC, Wake Forest and Maryland in a six-day span. All of Duke's focus now, though, is on the traditional powerhouse Tar Heels.
After dropping its season opener, North Carolina has won its last 12 games. Senior forward Heather O'Reilly, a member of the U.S. national team, has also been on a tear, notching four points in her last two games. But containing UNC's potent attack will be just part of Duke's game plan.
"You've got to compete for 90 minutes," Church said. "You've got to finish your chances, because there aren't a lot of chances out there. And you have to do a great job defending-both individual defending and collective defending."
Despite the Blue Devils' 2-28-1 all-time record against head coach Anson Dorrance's Tar Heels, they have a reason to be confident. Last year, they upset UNC 2-1 in Chapel Hill, behind then-junior midfielder Rebecca Moros' two scores. The Duke victory snapped North Carolina's 41-game win streak.
A key to the Blue Devils' recent success has been the emergence of the team's five freshmen. In the win over N.C. State, freshman KayAnne Gummersall and Elisabeth Redmond accounted for both of Duke's goals-the Wolfpack also added an own goal for the final margin. Gummersall was named co-ACC player of the week Monday.
Duke's youngest players are especially looking forward to their first game against their biggest rival.
"I think we're all really excited," freshman defender Sara Murphy said. "I'm not sure what to expect."
The seniors, too, are relishing what could be their last game against their biggest rival.
"We don't downplay it, I think we really embrace it," Moros said. "It's just a fun rivalry. We really enjoy it."
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