Something's different on the pitch this season.
Duke is lighting it up from inside the box and from a distance. Forwards, midfielders and defenders alike have added to the goal tally. And the high-scoring offense that has powered the Blue Devils through their first 11 games is showing no signs of easing up now.
Such prolific scoring is a welcome change from last year's offensive struggles. At the end of last season, head coach Robbie Church knew what Duke needed to improve.
"We needed more goals," Church said. "We needed more firepower."
And so the coaching staff kicked off this preseason with an emphasis on the offensive side of the ball, putting people in different formations and searching for the right offensive mix. It was a different approach from past years, when Duke started with defense.
Judging by the Blue Devils' early success, it appears that they've found the recipe.
"Last year it wasn't connecting for us as well," midfielder Lorraine Quinn said. "We were a little bit unlucky at times. This year it happened to fall in place a little earlier, and we've been really thriving off of that."
But the difference hasn't just been an issue of catching breaks. In a way, the team has made its own luck through its mental approach.
"I think that everyone's really bought into the idea that we can score goals and we can win games," forward KayAnne Gummersall said. "We can play with the best."
That mindset has paid big dividends. The Blue Devils have already delivered 33 goals on the season, and they are poised to surpass last season's mark of 34 against North Carolina tonight.
"We're attacking in numbers," Church said of the change. "We're getting more numbers forward, we're getting more numbers in the box, we're dangerous from outside.... In the past, maybe we've attacked with two or three players. We're [now] attacking with five players."
The statistics confirm Duke's success in creating opportunities. The Blue Devils have more than twice as many shot attempts as their opponents this season, and with opportunities come goals.
With Duke changing formations to push players higher, Quinn and Elisabeth Redmond-both forwards in the past-have thrived from their positions in the midfield. Now, as offensive-minded midfielders, they make the Blue Devils dangerous from distance.
Before opponents get tied up with the Duke midfield, however, they must contend with the contingent in front. Gummersall, who led the team in scoring two years ago as a freshman, has keyed the offensive turnaround. She returned this year after sustaining an ankle injury early in her sophomore campaign.
"She's back and healthy, so now she is just a handful up front," Church said. "She can hold a ball, she can strike a ball and she can pass a ball. She's been a big, big part of the offense, as a target player, scoring goals and getting assists."
But Gummersall knows the Blue Devils can't linger on either last season's struggles or this season's successes. With only ACC games left on the slate and the North Carolina tilt looming, Duke has to move on.
"This is a new season, a new team," Gummersall said. "We're not going to dwell on the past."
She repeats the Blue Devil mantra: "Play the full 90 minutes, and the goals will come."
So whether this year's high-powered offense is a result of personnel changes, the return of healthy players or changes in formation, Duke will keep doing what it has been doing all season to put the ball in the net.
And the goals will come.
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