The Blue Devils did not sound like a team that has struggled recently when they shouted, "Go to Hell Carolina, Go to Hell," at the end of practice Wednesday.
But then again, not much daunts this Duke squad.
"Five years ago, we might have been intimidated in the ACC," head coach Beth Bozman said. "Now, it's just a big competitive rivalry."
The 13th-ranked Blue Devils (4-4, 0-1 in the ACC) hope that their confidence will help them this weekend when they clash with No. 1 North Carolina (8-0, 1-0) Saturday at 1 p.m. in Chapel Hill. Duke has won in two consecutive editions of the Tobacco Road Rivalry.
Besting the Tar Heels for a third straight year, however, will not be an easy task.
"I feel like we're approaching this game as a great opportunity to improve our weaknesses," said junior Laura Suchoski, who leads Duke in scoring, along with sophomore Annie Survilla. "Carolina is kind of the bull of the ACC."
This season, North Carolina has not only been the bull of ACC, but also menacing some of the best teams in the country.
The Tar Heels already have three wins over top-10 teams, including a 6-0 drubbing of No. 7 Penn State in their last outing. North Carolina also beat then-No. 10 Iowa 5-2, then-No. 2 Wake Forest 2-1 and then-No. 13 Old Dominion 3-0. By comparison, Duke has lost to each of these three opponents.
Leading the Tar Heels are senior midfielders Rachel Dawson and Jesse Gey. Dawson already has nine goals this season and was named to the U.S. National Team for the second time. Gey, who has six goals to her credit so far, was an all-ACC tournament selection last year.
"They're the No. 1 team in the country, and I expect them to finish as a top two team," Bozman said. "It would be a really exceptional win for us."
For Duke to pull off the upset, it must take advantage of its scoring chances. In their losses to Iowa, Wake Forest and Old Dominion, the Blue Devils had many more shot opportunities than their opponents, yet ended up losing all three games.
Despite their recent scoring struggles, Duke believes that it can use North Carolina's high ranking against the Tar Heels.
"They have everything to lose. We have nothing to lose," Bozman said. "We have a couple of tricks up our sleeve."
The other thing the Blue Devils have is confidence. After last Sunday's loss to Old Dominion, the players returned to practice with a more positive attitude, determined not to let the defeat affect them.
Duke hopes that its upbeat mindset will help it record its first signature win of the season.
"You can't approach these games being intimidated or else your whole style of play will change," Suchoski said. "We're going into this game with a positive attitude. The higher up they're ranked, the harder they're going to fall."
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