Forget about scrimmaging the best in the country. No. 3 Duke prepared for its regular season by playing the best in the world last weekend.
With North Carolina, the Blue Devils co-hosted the annual South of the Border tournament, playing England and the United States' national teams to prepare for their season opener Friday against No. 19 Denver at 7 p.m. in Denver, Colo. Duke will continue its opening weekend Sunday at 12 p.m. against California, also in the Mile High City.
And if Duke's performance this weekend is anything like it was last weekend, the plane ride home might seem as short as a bus ride from Chapel Hill.
"Playing against international teams is always a little different," head coach Kerstin Kimel said. "The styles of play are different and they tend to be very physical and fast... not quite as skilled as American teams, though nonetheless, they are very good."
In the tournament's first game, Duke defeated England 15-11 in an impressive showing against the country that finished third in the 2005 World Cup. The Blue Devils maintained a strong offensive attack throughout the scrimmage, led by preseason All-American Carolyn Davis, who scored four goals. Fellow senior Megan Del Monte added a hat trick and Caroline Cryer and Sarah Bullard netted two goals each.
The scrimmage provided the team the chance to compete with the world's best players and gain international experience. Receiving exposure to the foreign style of play will strengthen the Blue Devils as it has already done in the past-and Cryer, Bullard and junior Lindsay Gilbride would agree.
The three are members of the U.S. Elite squad, a 23-member developmental team training for the 2009 World Cup. After a brief hiatus from Duke for their national obligations, Cryer, Bullard and Gilbride all rejoined the team this past weekend.
Their return paid large dividends for Duke, which needed some more field time with the entire squad together to ensure that it has solid chemistry for tonight's opener against Denver. And last weekend, the Blue Devils did not disappoint.
"I was happy to have the whole team together and able to put our starting group on the field, which includes Lindsay, Caroline and Sarah," Kimel said. "We wanted to show what we have been working so hard on in practice and I thought we executed well, and overall, it was a good showing."
Duke finished up the weekend playing against the U.S. national team, of which Cryer and Bullard are members. For the scrimmage, the pair switched jerseys to represent the American squad.
For the Blue Devils, the chance to play against two of their teammates created an ironic situation that the team initially found comical.
"It was fun. At first we were laughing that we had to play against them, but it was serious come game time," Kimel said. "The [U.S. team] is very fast and athletic, and playing against the national team really exposes things that we need to continue to work on as the season progresses."
But because of last weekend's scrimmages, Denver and California may not be able to expose very much at all.
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