After a 2-0 defeat at the hands of No. 12 ranked Rutgers, a roller coaster season came to a close for a depleted and exhausted Blue Devil squad. Though Duke was bounced from the NCAA tournament at an earlier stage than in any other tournament team during head coach Robbie Church’s tenure, the Blue Devils have reason to celebrate a sixth-place finish in the toughest conference in the country.
Duke was forced to overcome a turbulent pre-conference season that saw a number of first-team players lost for the year to injuries. Kim DeCesare, an incoming freshmen pegged to start, suffered an ACL tear before even stepping onto the field at Koskinen Stadium, starting what seemed to be an epidemic in the locker room.
“It was very challenging early in the year— every week it seemed we were losing a major player in our program,” Church said.
All in all, Duke lost five potential starters for the 2009 season, including senior captain Sarh Murphy and defender Ashley Rape, a 2008 All-ACC Freshman Team honoree. Faced with a challenging schedule early on, Church was forced to rely on a group of talented, yet still unproven freshmen to fill the void, especially on defense. After the midseason switch to a more defensive-minded 4-4-2 formation, Duke started five freshmen: midfielder Nicole Lipp, fullbacks Erin Koballa and Maddy Haller, centerback Libby Jandl and goalkeeper Tara Campbell.
“We had to have a number of freshmen step in and play, and we had only seen them for a month,” Church said. “I almost just wanted to shut it down and look forward to next season. It was demoralizing.”
A young Blue Devil squad performed admirably for Church, and even forced then-No.1 North Carolina into overtime on the road. The freshmen’s play, combined with the exemplary leadership provided by the Blue Devil seniors, rejuvenated the team halfway through the year, propelling Duke to a .500 record in the ACC and a berth in the NCAA tournament for the seventh straight season.
“The seniors could have been the first ones to give in, but they’re the ones who kept the team together through all the injuries and kept us motivated,” Church said.
The Blue Devils were led by their on-field general, midfielder Elisabeth Redmond. Already a three-time All-ACC selection, Redmond’s consistently stellar play anchored the Duke offense. With 12 assists on the year, Redmond led the ACC for the second time in her career. Her 87 career points place fourth all-time in Duke history, while her 35 assists are second all-time.
KayAnne Gummersall’s scoring touch also landed her in the record books this season, as she lead the team with 11 goals, the genesis of which often came from Redmond. The senior striker finished her career at Duke with 34 goals, fifth-most in Blue Devil history.
Though less apparent in the stat sheets, senior midfielder Jane Alukonis provided the youngest Blue Devils with much-needed guidance on and off the pitch. Alukonis, a four-year starter, was one of four captains, along with Redmond, Gummersall and Murphy.
While the onslaught of injuries crippled Duke’s chances of reaching the Elite Eight for the third consecutive year, the youngest Blue Devils were able to gain valuable playing time against ACC opponents. Five Duke freshmen played in at least 19 games in 2009, and Church expects the on-field experience to correlate into success in the future.
“There’s a great base for us in 2010,” Church said. “We’re going to have a high number of players coming back, a lot of experience and some really talented young players.”
With the return of proven players like Rape and defender Molly Lester, along with the expected emergence of DeCesare, many players will be able to return to their more natural positions in 2010, after having to switch positions in order to accommodate injuries this year. If capable players like winger Cody Newman and forward Chelsea Canepa can make up for the lost production from Redmond and Gummersall next year, the Blue Devils are confident they can return to the top of the ACC next fall.
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