When the Blue Devils meet Virginia in Klöckner Stadium Friday at 7 p.m. for their Sweet 16 matchup, they will have a lot to prove. Despite first- and second-round triumphs over lower-seeded opponents Radford and William & Mary, respectively, Duke must now take to the road, where it has struggled on offense recently.
The third-seeded Blue Devils (14-5-3) have been held scoreless in their last four away games, and Friday night will bring them back to the place where it all began.
Duke and Virginia (14-4-3) battled to a 0-0 double-overtime tie Oct. 30 in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers outshot the Blue Devils 22-6 in that contest, beginning Duke's road troubles. The team was held scoreless in its next two games against Virginia Tech and Boston College.
With a week off prior to the NCAA tournament, the Blue Devils finally had a chance to regain their legs, and they had hoped the time off would remedy their issues. But after two rounds of NCAA play, it is apparent that some problems still persist. Duke fired 16 shots in the second round against William & Mary, but it only converted once. Head coach Robbie Church was pleased with the way his players performed, and he feels that the worst is behind them.
"I thought we were more aggressive this weekend in attacking the goal," Church said. "And if we do that and come into Virginia with that attitude, I think we're going to be okay offensively. When we were in our little slump, we were not creating opportunities. If we create them, we're going to find the goals."
The Blue Devils have been supported by 12 shutouts this season, including the one against second-seeded Virginia. Senior goalkeeper Cassidy Powers has been on NCAA tournament teams in the past and has played well this season, but Duke cannot rely on her prowess in net-there are no 0-0 ties in the postseason.
In order to win, the Blue Devils must find a way to score on the road.
Junior forward KayAnne Gummersall, who leads the team with 12 goals, feels that the Blue Devils are up to the challenge the Cavaliers present.
"We know that this is a new season," Gummersall said. "If we keep playing to feet, playing like we always do [and] come out hard, I think we'll get the job done."
The team is taking the tournament one game at a time, with complete focus on Virginia. But one thing is in the back of every player's mind-they have done this before. With a win on Friday, the Blue Devils could match last year's postseason success by advancing to the Elite Eight.
In order to reach those heights, however, the Blue Devils must battle hard against the Cavaliers. It will not be easy, but the players insist confidence is high.
"It's tournament time," Church said. "The teams you're playing in the tournament, they wouldn't be there if they gave up a lot of goals.... We're not going to get a ton of opportunities-we're going to get two, three opportunities-but we're going to be ready when those opportunities come.
"We're going to be ready to finish them."
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