After outscoring its two opponents by a combined 14 goals last week, No. 15 Duke looks to continue its offensive onslaught against Florida International tonight at 7 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium and Yale Sunday at 1 p.m.
Five games into the season, the Blue Devils have already developed not only a high-powered but diverse offensive attack. Against High Point Sunday, five different players scored for Duke (4-1), including standout freshman forward Laura Weinberg, who co-leads the team with three goals. Weinberg and fellow freshman forward Mollie Pathman will provide firepower up front, but expect Blue Devil midfielders to also get in on the offensive action.
“The nature of our beast is going to be how we score goals. Midfielders are scoring a lot of goals for us,” head coach Robbie Church said. “Their job offensively is to push themselves up high like forwards.”
While he is pleased with his players’ performance last week, Church still stressed his team’s room for improvement. He noted the disappointing August 29 2-1 loss to No. 2 Stanford, in which Duke blew a one-goal lead, as proof that his players are not completely ready to perform against the toughest of opponents.
“We’ve found out we’re not good enough [yet],” Church said. “We played Stanford, and they’re at the top of the ladder, and we’re not there yet. We’re spending a lot of time on [improving] ourselves.”
The Golden Panthers and Bulldogs may not have the same talent level as the Cardinal, yet both squads pose a legitimate threat to the Blue Devils. Florida International (3-3) returns ten starters from a Sun Belt Conference championship team, while Yale (1-1) knocked off then-No. 16 Penn State last week.
“Both of these teams are dangerous,” Church said. “They’ve got some dangerous forwards, and they both rely on the counterattack. The final ball will be important this weekend.”
Golden Panther freshman Chelsea Leiva, in particular, will challenge the Duke defense. Six games into her collegiate career, the forward, who Church praised for her great speed, already has netted four goals.
Sunday, Duke will square off with Yale’s Becky Brown, the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year. The senior captain scored the decisive goal against Penn State last week.
Despite these skilled opponents, the Blue Devils look to continue their 31-game undefeated streak against unranked non-conference opponents at Koskinen Stadium. Church certainly thinks his team is up for the task.
“I’m really impressed with the girls and how hard they’ve competed and played,” Church said. “They’re just trying to get better.”
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