The loss of a successful senior class usually causes teams to quickly lower expectations for the following season. Duke, however, is not letting the departures of former All-Americans Amy Stopford and Hilary Linton, along with Liz Floyd and Cara-Lynn Lopresti, affect its aspirations for the 2007 season.
"Our expectations are higher this year," head coach Beth Bozman said. "We've set the bar much higher with stronger goals."
It is hard to fathom a higher bar for the Blue Devils, who have made eight straight NCAA tournament appearances and four consecutive final fours. It is even more difficult to find players to produce the 27 goals and 12 assists provided by last year's senior class.
With a dozen players returning from last year's squad, though, the fourth-ranked Blue Devils have good reason to be optimistic. Headlining the returnees is midfielder Marian Dickinson, who led Duke last year with 19 goals and tied for the team-lead with 10 assists. The Blue Devils also return senior goalkeeper Caitlin Williams, who started all 22 games last year and was an All-Region pick in the NCAA tournament. Williams, senior defender Courtney Elliott and junior midfielder Laura Suchoski have been named captains for the season. Suchoski was the only freshman in Duke history to receive any kind of All-American recognition and already has the unique experience of playing against international competition-she was selected to represent the United States at the AtaHolding Champions Challenge.
"It's always been of one of my goals to play for the national team," Suchoski said. "It was an absolutely amazing experience to see all the other athletes."
Duke's roster is further bolstered by the addition of six new recruits, several of whom are competing for spots in the starting lineup. The new class includes forward Camille Dagorn, who received player of the year recognition by three different sources in 2006, and Casey Beyel, who was named field hockey player of the year by the Atlantic City Press.
"They're a very impressive class," Bozman said. "They came in fit, worked really hard and are extremely talented."
Duke will need every bit of its depth and talent to compete in the always-brutal ACC. All six conference teams are ranked in the top ten, with Maryland, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Duke filling out the top four. Virginia and Boston College weigh in at numbers eight and nine, respectively.
With such a demanding schedule, the Blue Devils will need to quickly cultivate their youth and relative inexperience, especially when compared with past Duke teams. Bozman, however, sees this team's fresh perspective as a major positive.
"It's a little different from years past," Bozman said. "The margin of improvement this team has the potential of achieving is the biggest difference from other squads. The chemistry on the team is great."
With their unique combination of talent, depth and closeness, the sky is the limit for these new-look Blue Devils.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.