A team with already-tremendous camaraderie became even closer this season-even after welcoming six new players.
With most top squads in the country redshirting their first-year players, the Blue Devils (15-6) did just the opposite. After all, five of Duke's key players in its season-ending 8-5 loss to eventual national champion Maryland Nov. 16 were freshmen.
"It's rare to have a freshman in the lineup, and it's unheard of to have multiple start," head coach Beth Bozman said. "What they were able to accomplish is pretty phenomenal and is a testament to the older players who embraced them and eased their transition to playing at the collegiate level."
Each rookie developed a level of comfort with some of the upperclassmen and captains.
One freshman in particular, however, blossomed in the defensive backfield under the guidance of two of the team's captains.
"Stefanie Fee became the player that she was because of Brooke Patterson and Lauren Miller," Bozman said. "They grabbed hold of her and really helped her develop her skills."
Fee started all 21 games for the Blue Devils this season. Initially, she found the college game a lot faster than what she had been accustomed to in the past.
But rather than allowing herself to feel intimidated, the Virginia native proved herself early on to her team with a strong passion on the field. Fee's development as a player, in accordance with her strong worth ethic, resulted from the structure of the Blue Devils' practices.
The team only has four defenders on its roster, so for Fee, the individual position portion of practice gave her an ample amount of one-on-one time with her captains to enhance her abilities and match up with two of the nation's top players in Patterson and Miller. Not only did the juniors contribute to the improvement in Fee's skills, but they also helped strengthen her general attitude on the field.
"Defensive practice usually got shafted on most of the drills, because there were only four of us and we had to go up against the rest of the team," Fee said. "In some ways, practice got intimidating and tiring, but [Miller] just taught me never to give up and keep working hard."
Miller, a first-team all American, not only helped lead her team to the national quarterfinals this season, but also initiated the process of welcoming Fee and the rest of her class to the program. Along with Patterson and senior captains Laura Suchoski and Marian Dickinson, Miller felt that creating a close-knit atmosphere both on and off the field was important for the team's success.
"All four of us made it a top priority to make the freshmen feel welcome and help them adjust so they knew what was going on at all times," Miller said. "This helped build a strong team bond, and I feel as connected to the freshmen as I do to my own class."
Known as the team's communicator, Miller significantly improved her leadership skills this season due in large part to taking Fee under her wing and working with her closely throughout the year. Although Miller solidified her position as a leader this season, she feels that this development would not have occurred without the influence of her coaches and co-captains. With the help of Suchoski, a first team All-American, and Dickinson, a third team All-American, it seemed almost inevitable that the heralded duo of seniors would pass its legacy into capable hands that could carry it over to next year.
And while the Blue Devils did not achieve the level of success that they anticipated, the friendships and legacy of this season's team has made monumental changes to the future of the team, Bozman said.
Even in the eyes of Bozman, who has led four squads to the final four in her six seasons at Duke, the 2008 squad was unique.
"This year's team changed our program forever," Bozman said. "We've had teams go to the final before, but we have never had a team with such passion and fight.... I think we are just going to go further and further now because of this team, since they laid such a firm foundation for us moving forward."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.