Duke plays a powerful ACC foe tonight when it travels to Winston-Salem to take on No. 9 Wake Forest (8-2-0, 0-1-0 in the ACC) at 7 p.m.
The Blue Devils (4-4-2, 0-1-0) look to bounce back after a tough overtime loss at No. 1 North Carolina exactly one week ago. With the game tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, the Tar Heels managed a goal in the extra period to take the game, 2-1.
“I think we learned that we can play with any team in the country, and to go to their home and [to] force them into overtime shows us that we can compete with all teams,” head coach Robbie Church said.
The Blue Devils have been stellar defensively. Led by three freshman defenders and a freshman goalie, Duke’s young backfield has been impressive, allowing only 9.3 shots per game.
“Early in the season, we struggled a little because we’re such a new back line and we’re young,” freshman defender Nicole Lipp said. “But we’ve definitely improved and we’ve learned how to keep our shape a lot better. I think we just need to continue staying strong and keeping sharp.”
Although Duke was outshot 21-6 during its game in Chapel Hill, Church attributes the low-scoring game to the defense.
In that contest, the Blue Devils managed to hold the Tar Heels scoreless until the 84th minute despite North Carolina holding possession for most of the game.
“How powerful North Carolina is, you know that they are going to create shots,” Church said. “But if you look at the quality of the shots, you’ll notice that we defended really well, and we forced them to take a lot of shots that weren’t danger shots.”
Duke looks to continue its strong defensive play tonight against Wake Forest. The last time these two teams met, Duke won 3-1. Fortunately, the Blue Devils have returned many of the offensive weapons that were so effective against the Demon Deacons last year. Elisabeth Redmond, now a senior, scored two of Duke’s three goals and hopes to be equally effective tonight.
However, the Blue Devils need to be careful against Wake Forest this year. The Demon Deacons return seven of last year’s starters, including senior Jill Hutchinson, who led last year’s squad with ten goals and seven assists. Hutchinson has been equally impressive during this young season, with eight goals and two assists.
“We know that Wake Forest is a great them. They are having a terrific year,” senior captain Jane Alukonis said. “They are just an all-around solid team. They are very athletic and will be a good team to play against.”
With both teams 0-1-0 in conference, the Blue Devils and the Demon Deacons will look for a win to bring momentum into the rest of their ACC schedule.
“This game is really important because it could be a big turning point for us,” Lipp said. “We’ve played great during these last few games, and throughout the season. If we get a win [today], it would be great for our season and confidence.”
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