For Duke, playing UNC-Greensboro is like going to the dentist, head coach Robbie Church said Sunday night. The No. 16 Blue Devils made sure they closed a three-game homestand at Koskinen Stadium without any lingering aches.
Junior Jane Alukonis broke a 0-0 deadlock in the 77th minute as Duke (3-0) edged the Spartans, easily the best team it has played this year. The Blue Devils topped Campbell 4-0 Friday night behind two goals from junior Elisabeth Redmond.
It all adds up to a 3-0 start for the Blue Devils, even if it took some pushing and pulling Sunday.
"[Playing UNC-G] is something you have to do, but it's painful," Church said. "It showed we haven't played at that quick pace."
The Blue Devils routed Coastal Carolina 9-0 last weekend, and Friday's win over Campbell (0-1-1) was hardly more challenging. Redmond, Duke's leading scorer last season, posted the game's first two tallies and Duke had opened up a 3-0 advantage less than 10 minutes into the second period. The Blue Devils fired 35 shots on goal and did not allow one from the Fighting Camels.
Sunday's game against UNC-Greensboro (2-2) took far more effort.
Duke managed 15 shots on goal, by far the fewest of its first three games. Its top players, somewhat fatigued from playing two games in less than 48 hours for the first time all season, were forced to play longer minutes without long spells on the bench. The speed of the game was noticeably quicker than its previous two contests, when the Blue Devils dictated the pace and dominated possession.
But Alukonis found the back of the net when her direct kick from 25 yards out found its way through a scrum in the box into the left corner of the net, and Duke had the only goal it needed. Goalkeeper Cassidy Powers posted her third consecutive shutout. She has yet to allow a goal this year.
The offensive output Sunday wasn't as prolific as it was Friday or last Sunday, but Church was not surprised-he had planned it that way.
"We scheduled it on purpose this year-it played just like we wanted to," he said. "We scored goals early and then knew we had to move out of that competition. It was time to move into this arena. This was a better read. Greensboro doesn't back down, and they're not scared of us. We knew it'd be a great game, so it was what we ordered."
The problem of fatigue wasn't unexpected, either. The Blue Devils played their first Friday-Sunday doubleheader of the season-the same scheduling format they have over the next three weekends.
And Coastal Carolina won't be waiting on the back end of the draw.
Next week at the Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, Duke faces off with No. 4 Notre Dame Sunday.
"You're playing two games in 48 hours, and physically, you can't do it," Church said. "It's early in the year. We're not in game shape, and you could see that today. We had some players that were tired.... But from now on, every game will be like this. We'll play our way into shape a little bit."
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