Although there will not be an NCAA title at stake this weekend, six of the nation's top field hockey teams will be on hand to clash for the ACC Championship title.
Third-seeded Duke (14-4, 3-2 in ACC), will open ACC tournament play today with a match against sixth-seeded North Carolina (12-7, 1-4 in ACC). The match will be played at 4 p.m. at Francis E. Henry Stadium in Chapel Hill.
The Blue Devils, coming off consecutive wins over No.12 California and No.10 Virginia, will need to defeat the Tar Heels for the second time this season in order to advance to a Friday evening matchup with No 2. seed Wake Forest. In its previous contest against UNC, Duke won 2-1 in overtime, with senior midfielder Amy Stopford scoring the winning goal on a penalty stroke.
Head coach Beth Bozman said she does not buy into the logic that it would be more difficult to beat a team the second time around.
"Usually that is just coaching lingo used by the team that didn't win the first time," Bozman said. "If you perform well, the best team will win. We are going in feeling confident, and we think that we will hit our stride."
The Tar Heels only have one league win-a 4-0 victory over Boston College- but seven of their 11 wins this season have come at home. Historically, the Blue Devils have not performed well in Chapel Hill, losing 28 of their 31 road matchups against North Carolina.
Still, Duke has won its last two matches at Francis E. Henry Stadium, and Bozman is not worried about North Carolina's home field advantage.
"It used to be a big jinx for Duke when we played at UNC, but its not such a disadvantage for us to come over here anymore," Bozman said. "We're here at the ACC tourney, it's what kids want to play in as they grow up, so we are looking forward to it."
With the NCAA Championships slated to begin next weekend, it will be important for the Blue Devils to perform well in the ACC tournament in order to earn a top seed. With all six ACC teams among the top 10 teams in the nation, the Blue Devils' performance this weekend will play a role in determining the team's first round opponent.
"It will absolutely have implications on our seeding," Bozman said. "The way that we perform in this tournament will really dictate where we go and how we are seeded."
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