Duke’s season lives on for at least one more weekend as the team earned a bid in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth consecutive year Monday afternoon. The Blue Devils will play California Friday in Gainesville, Fla.
After a disappointing defeat in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals to rival Maryland, the Blue Devils (10-7-1) get a second chance to finish their season on a high note. Duke has fared well in the NCAA Tournament in recent years, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2007 and 2008 after falling in the first round of the conference tournament both seasons.
“It was definitely a tough loss against Maryland in the first round but I think after the last week [of practice], we’ve definitely got it together,” senior captain Molly Lester said. “We’re looking forward to this NCAA run.”
Duke is one of eight ACC teams to make the 64-team field, and the conference was very favorably represented. North Carolina and Maryland were each given No. 1 seeds in their regions and three other ACC squads—Virginia, Boston College and Florida State—are hosting the opening rounds as No. 2 seeds. Only Wake Forest, who won the ACC Tournament last weekend, was sent across to country to play San Diego in Irvine, Calif.
The Blue Devils’ postseason run will kick off against an unfamiliar opponent. Duke has not played the Golden Bears since the Blue Devils won 1-0 in 1999, before head coach Robbie Church arrived in Durham.
California (9-5-5) has to make possibly the farthest trek of any tournament team to play in the opening-round game and could be without its star forward Alex Morgan. The senior leads the Golden Bears with 14 goals despite playing in only 11 games as a result of being a member the U.S. National Team. Team USA is currently in the midst of qualifying for the 2011 World Cup and consequently, Morgan has not played for California since Oct. 17.
Nevertheless, Church emphasized that the Golden Bears will be a formidable opponent by virtue of playing in one of the top conferences in the country. The Pac-10 sent seven teams to the NCAA Tournament, one less than the ACC.
“It’s not going to be a big jump in the level of play,” Church said. “Our last two games were Maryland and [North] Carolina—two No. 1 seeds—so it’s going to be a tough game, but I’m excited.”
If the Blue Devils get past California, they will likely face No. 2 seed Florida, which will be playing on its home turf. Duke played the Gators earlier this season in a nationally-televised contest at Koskinen Stadium, earning a 1-1 draw after freshman Laura Weinberg scored with just over a minute left to play in regulation. Florida has been on a tear of late and has not lost since it fell to Auburn on Oct. 10.
The Blue Devils’ regional also includes the Tar Heels, who are searching for their third consecutive national title, and 2007 national champion Southern California. No. 3 seed Oklahoma State, No. 4 Notre Dame and Oregon State—all ranked in the top 15 in the country—also stand in Duke’s path to the College Cup.
“It’s a tough tournament this year,” Church said. “We’ve played a lot of the top teams and have fared well against a lot of the top teams. Our kids are excited. It’s nice to be hungry at this time of year.”
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