Duke’s senior class has an impressive four-year resume, including two elite eight appearances in 2007 and 2008, but the group still seeks to accomplish one more feat.
Tonight, the Blue Devil seniors get one more shot for that elusive victory over their achrival North Carolina at 7:00 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium.
“I’ve been thinking a lot over the past few days about the four years and all the experiences we’ve had, the games and the practices,” senior Gretchen Miller said. “Having it be Carolina on our Senior Night is such a special way to go out. Right now, I’m just really focusing on getting that win, [knowing] how big that would be for our team.”
A victory over the No. 4 Tar Heels (14-2-1, 6-2-0 in the ACC) would be of great significance not only for the 2010 Blue Devils, but for the program in general. Duke (10-5-3, 4-4-1) has not defeated North Carolina since 2005 and holds a dismal all-time 2-32-1 record against the Tar Heels, including a 0-11 mark at Koskinen Stadium.
“They are another great Carolina team, no question,” head coach Robbie Church said. “[Carolina] sets the standard in this sport, not just in the ACC, but nationally with their 20 national championships. [But] if you want to be the best you have to beat the best.”
The matchup with North Carolina presents considerable defensive challenges for the Blue Devils. The Tar Heels’ formidable offensive attack currently ranks second in the NCAA with 3.06 goals scored per game.
The high-pressure offense includes six players who have scored four or more times, including stand-out freshman Kealia Ohai, who leads the team with 11 goals.
“They are very talented up front—very fast and quick,” Church said. “We have to play through their pressure.... We have to be able to keep the ball offensively and can’t give it back to them and play defense all game.”
Despite the offensive threat posed by the Tar Heels, Church remains confident that his continually improving defense will be up for the test. Duke has shut out its opponent in each of the last three games and in half of the team’s 18 contests.
“We’ve gotten tighter defensively,” Church said. “We were giving up too many goals in the early part of ACC season, but we’ve cut that out. We’ve got ourselves in a yard or two towards the ball and we’ve tracked players better.”
While Duke’s defense will look to stymie the high-powered Tar Heel attack, the offense hopes to see its improved finishing skills continue. After a four-game stretch when the Blue Devils managed only three goals, Duke has now scored 12 goals in its last five games.
Underclassmen Mollie Pathman, Laura Weinberg and Callie Simpkins have all played crucial roles in the mid-season offensive revitalization. Weinberg leads the team with nine goals—one shy of the Blue Devil freshman record.
“Early this season, we were making goalkeepers look like All-Americans,” Church said. “We were placing balls up high where goalkeepers can make saves and now we’re rolling balls in corners. The composure in the box is better than it was earlier this year.”
The Blue Devils’ lackluster play made a berth in the ACC tournament seem questionable only a week ago. But after three consecutive conference victories over Virginia Tech, Boston College and N.C. State, Duke now looks poised to not only challenge the Tar Heels tonight but contend for next week’s ACC tournament title.
“We hit a bump in the road four or five games ago, [and] it called on the character of us a lot,” Miller said. “We basically had a decision to make if we were going to throw in the towel or keep working hard and salvage what we had left.
“And I think that every single person has made the decision to work for each other. We come out here and challenge each other at practice and we go at it, and when we get the chance to play, it’s just for each other.”
With a rejuvenated spirit, Duke finally seems to be hitting its stride and playing its best soccer of the season.
“We have great potential, better than any team I’ve ever been on in my four years at Duke,” senior captain Molly Lester said. “You always want to end the season on a positive note, especially going into the ACC and NCAA tournament. It’s been a long season [but] we’re on an upswing now. It’d be really nice to secure that with a win [tonight].”
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