More than just a rivalry win will be on the line tonight in the annual Duke-North Carolina game.
If the Blue Devils win, they will get a bye in the upcoming ACC tournament and would only have to play two games to win the conference championship. If they lose, they will have to play an extra game against either Virginia Tech or Boston College and then, if they advance, Duke would play another game the next day in the semifinals.
The showdown is as even as it gets as No. 5 Duke (11-2, 3-1 in the ACC) prepares to take on No. 4 North Carolina (13-2, 3-1) at Koskinen Stadium at 7 p.m.
"The top of the ACC is pretty much the top of the country right now, and it's a complete dog fight," head coach Kerstin Kimel said. "For both teams, the game is critical.
With four ACC teams-Virginia, Maryland, Duke and North Carolina-ranked in the top seven nationally, the outcome of tonight's game and of the ACC tournament will factor heavily into NCAA tournament seeding.
The Blue Devils hold just a 10-7 advantage in the series history, but since 2003 they have dominated North Carolina, winning six out of the last their last seven contests. History aside, this game should be one of the best and well-rounded contests of the year in women's lacrosse.
Duke fields a powerhouse offense ranked sixth nationally in scoring, led by ACC Player of the Week Kristen Waagbo and Caroline Cryer. The Tar Heels will show up with an offense that is almost as productive as Duke's and one that is arguably more balanced than the Blue Devils'.
UNC is coming off an offensively dominant win over Longwood, which the Tar Heels beat 24-2 on April 15. Fifteen Tar Heel players scored in that contest, setting team records for goals scored in a game, total points in a game and margin of victory. Duke plays Longwood Sunday at home at 1 p.m.
The Blue Devil defense, which has struggled to play up to Kimel's expectations for most of the season, is coming off of one of its best and most aggressive performances in Duke's 16-8 win over Boston College last Saturday.
"I really think that we did a much better job in our BC game playing a more team defense," junior defenseman Aiyana Newton said. "It's going to be that much more important that we can really play a solid team defense against [North Carolina]."
With both teams fielding such productive units in an intense rivalry game, the deciding factor could come down to the intangibles.
"Because it's a rivalry, and because it's a Friday night and because there are ACC standings and NCAA [seedings] on the line, our main focus is just to play our very best," Kimel said. "If we get caught up in all the other stuff that will revolve around the game, it would take our focus off of the most important thing, which will be our game plan and just playing well."
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