For most teams, playing a game at home entails the usual benefits of sleeping at home and competing in front of their fans. But for a Duke team that has been touched by tragedy, it means much, much more.
Still mourning the loss of assistant coach Maria Whitehead, who passed away Nov. 1, the No. 4 Blue Devils (14-5) were excited to learn they will be hosting first and second round games of the NCAA Field Hockey Championship, which begins Nov. 11.
"With everything that has happened this past week, the field has a pretty symbolic meaning for us," senior forward Liz Floyd said. "It's going to be an emotional weekend, but we are just so grateful to be able to play on it one more time."
Beyond the emotional aspects that playing at home will involve, the Blue Devils are excited to finally get the opportunity to host a tournament match. Despite being ranked No. 4 at the season's end in each of the past two years, Duke has been sent to other campus sites to begin tournament play.
In 2004, the Blue Devils travelled to Chapel Hill, where they upset top-ranked North Carolina in the second round. Last season, Duke opened the NCAA Tournament at Princeton, where the team won two straight double-overtime games over Princeton and Connecticut.
This year, the Blue Devils are looking forward to playing on a field where they have lost only two games this season.
"Last year, we were not very good at home, but this year we have played well at home," head coach Beth Bozman said. "We are excited to be here, and we hope to have a great crowd pushing us on."
By virtue of its seeding, Duke will also avoid playing the three top-ranked teams-Maryland, Wake Forest and Old Dominion-until the national semifinals.
Led by a senior class that has played in the NCAA title game in each of its three seasons, the Blue Devils will face off against No. 17 James Madison (14-7), which earned the Colonial Athletic Association's automatic bid with a 1-0 win over No. 3 Old Dominion. Old Dominion defeated the Duke twice this season, so the Blue Devils know they will face a tough opponent in their first-round game.
"We need to come out from the start and make a statement," Floyd said. "James Madison will come out pretty confident coming off that win, but we're obviously capable of beating them. We just need to come out and play the game like we can."
If the Blue Devils win their first game, they will play the winner of No. 5 Ohio State and No. 13 California, which Duke defeated earlier this season. All games will be played at Williams Field.
Although this year's tournament selection marks the eighth time in school history the Blue Devils will play in the NCAA Championships and the second time they have hosted preliminary rounds, the tragedy of last week stands to make this year's tournament particularly special.
"I think that Maria will be with us for a long time, and this is a really good way to keep her with us," Bozman said. "We are going to work real hard this weekend."
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