CHAPEL HILL-Unfortunately for No. 14 Duke, the only thing hotter than the blistering heat Saturday afternoon at Henry Stadium was the Tar Heels' offense.
No. 1 North Carolina (9-0, 2-0 in the ACC) used a four-goal spurt in the second half to bury the Blue Devils 5-0. The score could have been even more lopsided-the Tar Heels had two goals in the first half nullified by penalties. Duke (5-5, 0-2), though, hung tough with the Tar Heels for much of the first period, but could not keep up after intermission.
"Our team poured their hearts out in the first half," junior Laura Suchoski said. "We put out so much energy and effort that it drained us in the second half."
North Carolina dominated the Blue Devils in every statistical category, outshooting them 20-6 and holding a 9-3 advantage in penalty corners.
The first half was a defensive struggle, as both squads were unable to put the ball in the net. Tar Heel senior midfielder Jesse Gey broke the scoreless tie when she pushed a shot past Blue Devil goalkeeper Caitlin Williams with 24 seconds left in the stanza. The goal gave North Carolina a 1-0 lead that it took into the locker room.
By contrast, the second half featured plenty of offense. After Duke used a timeout eight minutes into the period, the Tar Heels scored two goals in less than three minutes to put the Blue Devils in a 3-0 hole. North Carolina extended their advantage on a penalty corner from senior Rachel Dawson with 15:30 left and a strike from senior Heather Kendell less than two minutes later.
One major advantage the Tar Heels had that became especially clear in the second half was depth.
"They were subbing attackers every five to seven minutes, and we were playing man-to-man defense," Williams said. "Our three defenders in the back were exhausted."
Williams was one of the few bright spots for Duke, recording five saves and stopping numerous attacks. With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, the senior helped to block three consecutive North Carolina shot attempts off penalty corners.
Despite the score, the Blue Devils are still optimistic about the rest of their season.
"Our team looked at the first half and realized, 'We can stick with one of the best teams in the country,'" Suchoski said. "It ended on a positive note, realizing the effort we put in."
But for Duke, effort continues to come up just short on the scoreboard.
While it might be tempting to dwell on a loss like this, the Blue Devils know that they must move forward to turn their season around.
"Today is the halfway point in the season," Williams said. "We're focusing on what we can take from this first part and leaving the rest behind so that we can bring some wins home."
Duke bounced back Sunday with a 4-1 victory over Richmond (1-8) at Williams Field. Five seniors-Marcy Burns, Courtney Elliott, Rachel Link, Shayna McGeehan and Williams-were honored before the game.
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