As if playing on the road wasn't difficult enough, Duke had to deal with cold, rainy weather this weekend in Virginia.
And the Blue Devils proved they were able to weather the storm-thanks in large part to their lightning rod of a senior.
Looking to extend its four-game winning streak, No. 5 Duke beat William & Mary 7-1 Friday in Williamsburg, Va. and Old Dominion 2-1 Sunday in Norfolk, Va.
And once again, solid leadership from Duke's captains contributed to the wins.
Coming into Friday's game, senior captain Marian Dickinson had only scored one goal in the past five contests- and it was the game-winning score in Duke's upset over No. 1 Maryland Oct. 11. William & Mary (4-10), on the other hand, could not contain the senior midfielder any longer.
The Blue Devils (12-3) jumped out to an early 3-1 lead by halftime off of goals from junior Amie Survilla, sophomore Susan Ferger and freshman Megan Deakins.
Dickinson, however, came out of the gates firing in the second half, scoring three goals in the 47th, 56th and 62nd minutes.
"It's just been a matter of time before [Dickinson] has been able to knock this many in," head coach Beth Bozman said. "We were happy to see her get those numbers."
The Blue Devils received another score from junior captain Lauren Miller and went on to finish the blowout 7-1.
The hat trick was Dickinson's fourth of her career and her first of the season. With three games left in the regular season, it seems as if she may be peaking at the right time with the ACC tournament just a few weeks away.
In addition to her scoring output, the former member of the Canadian national team has contributed to Duke's recent success in her role as starting midfielder and captain.
"[Marian] does a lot of things besides scoring," Bozman said. "She sets up scoring opportunities, as well, and has strong tracking and defensive skills."
With 49 career goals in her four years at Duke, her sixth, seventh and eighth goals of the season leave Dickinson one tally away from pulling into fifth place all-time in Blue Devil scoring.
Though unable to move up in the scoring record books against Old Dominion (6-9) Sunday, Dickinson continued to make her strong offensive presence felt, leading the squad with three shots on goal.
Fellow senior captain Laura Suchoski picked up the slack against the Lady Monarchs, netting what would prove to be the game-winning goal in the 53rd minute.
With the 2-1 victory over Old Dominion, the Blue Devils extended their winning streak to six games-a feat that may prove fruitful later.
"We're in the final stretch now and know one of the criteria for the tournament is performance at the end of the season," Bozman said. "We are setting ourselves up to be in good shape for the ACC tournament."
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