After losing in the NCAA semifinals during her freshman and sophomore seasons, Caroline Cryer and the rest of the Blue Devils were just 20 minutes away from earning the school's first ever national championship appearance in May.
Holding a 13-4 lead over Virginia at the Final Four at Penn's Franklin Field, Cryer and Duke appeared to be in control. But out of nowhere, the Cavaliers stormed back to score 10 unanswered goals, leaving the Blue Devils with a familiar bitter feeling in their stomachs.
The disappointing end to the team's season overshadowed the end of a breakout junior season for the red-headed Cryer. Now heading into her final year, Cryer is looking to improve upon an individual season she even admits herself came out of nowhere. A Tewaarton trophy finalist and first-team All-America selection, Duke's top returning starter is doing her best to prepare for next season in hopes to attain what has eluded her for three seasons-a national championship.
"It's been heartbreaking, getting so close every year," Cryer said. "It's just killer. It makes you want to get back there so much more."
The victory would be all that much sweeter if it came over ACC foe, Virginia.
As a Colorado high schooler playing a predominately East Coast sport, Cryer considered playing for the Cavaliers, the team now responsible for two of Duke's three early playoff exits.
"That kills me," she said. "It's definitely been a battle playing against them. I'm always saying, 'We have to beat UVA. We have to beat UVA.' It's tough to look at that, but they don't have a national championship, so from that standpoint I'm not missing out, thank God."
Despite the hard losses, Cryer still stands firm in her decision to choose Duke, confident in knowing that she has helped the Blue Devils cement their status as an annual threat for the NCAA women's lacrosse crown.
"As a coach, it's very satisfying to watch somebody who works as hard as Caroline does and is as dedicated as Caroline is," head coach Kerstin Kimel said.
"It's very satisfying to watch a kid come in and give you everything she's got day-to-day, and then some."
The Blue Devils graduated seven seniors, including three of the team's top-five point scorers, and will not only rely on Cryer's prolific scoring but on her growing leadership skills as well.
"Cryer has been a quiet, behind-the-scenes leader," junior Carolyn Davis said. "But this year, she was a lot more vocal, especially out on the field. She's going to be a really great leader next season. The more responsibility put on her, the better she has done."
When the first whistle blows next spring, Cryer's final chapter will begin to play out. She has three championship seasons in high school followed by three semifinal disappointments in college and one last year to set the record straight.
"I can say right now, that will never happen again," she said of losing in the semifinals. "Coming to Duke, I really wanted to be apart of a team that I thought could win a national championship. I've got one more year to make that happen.
"I think getting so close so many years in a row, we realize just how hard it is and how it's really going to take that extra little bit next year."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.