On paper, it's hard to tell Duke and its upcoming opponent, Wake Forest, apart.
The Blue Devils (7-3-3 overall, 2-2-1 in the ACC) and the Demon Deacons (7-5-2, 2-2-1) enter tonight's 7 p.m. game in Winston-Salem tied for fifth place in the ACC standings. They have played similar schedules, with six common opponents so far this year. And neither team can afford to drop a game to a comparable team in the highly competitive ACC.
On the Duke side, there is a definite sense of urgency.
"We have got to play really, really well tomorrow," head coach Robbie Church said. "It's going to be the team that brings the biggest heart tomorrow. You look position by position, it's pretty evenly matched. I think it's the one that really wants to play for 90 minutes and the one that wants to battle for 90 minutes."
In their last game, a 2-1 loss to the Tar Heels Oct. 11, the Blue Devils appeared to fall back into their early-season struggles with converting prime scoring opportunities into goals, particularly in the second half. The players were not discouraged by their performance in Chapel Hill, however, as they now feel much more confident in their ability to get good looks against top competition.
"We dominated Carolina in the second half," said junior midfielder and leading scorer Kelly Hathorn. "Just like the Texas A&M game and the Virginia game, we saw that we can play with these teams. We just have not quite put the ball in the back of the net. I feel like the momentum is going to carry us and finally have a big win tomorrow night."
This sentiment was echoed by Duke's other leading scorer, sophomore midfielder Elisabeth Redmond, who said the team focused on the opportunities they were able to create and not concerned about the lack of goals.
The Blue Devils are still missing their leading scorer from last year, sophomore KayAnne Gummersall due to an ankle injury. Church said her absense still significantly impacts the team's attack even though freshman Kendall Bradley has filled in nicely and generated numerous scoring chances-most recently with a header that deflected off the crossbar late against UNC-there is still no substitute for Gummersall.
There is also no substitute for preparation, and Duke has not overlooked any detail for this match, right down to the brand of soccer ball used. In recent practices, the team switched from Adidas balls to Nike balls since Wake Forest is sponsored by Nike.
For two teams in such similar positions, the Blue Devils are looking for any small edge to set them apart.
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