Many things have changed for Duke since 2012—Jack Katz Stadium was renovated, three seniors have graduated and all players are finished with international tournaments for the year.
But Duke hopes the most important change is yet to come—a rebounding season after a disappointing year in which it finished winless in the ACC.
Before conference play can begin, the No. 10 Blue Devils will kick off their 2013 campaign with weekend home contests against Drexel and No. 17 Indiana.
“Preseason has gone really well,” redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Blazing said. “We’ve been working on improving our basic skills as well as our team structure so we can go into this season with a strong start.”
The Hoosiers come to Durham without its top offensive threat during the last two seasons. Morgan Fleetwood, who scored 12 goals in 2012 and 11 in 2011 to lead Indiana, will be missed, with the team's next highest scorer only netting six goals last season. The Hoosiers will instead take a defensive approach toward their season, with goalkeeper Maggie Olson and All-Big Ten defender Hannah Boyer named as captains, along with midfielder Audra Heilman.
“We’re really excited to open up against Indiana because they’re a good team and really physical,” Blazing said. “They play strong ball in the back field, so we’ve been working on building our midfield and forward attack.”
Duke’s strongest weapon is senior forward Emmie Le Marchand. Le Marchand took a team-leading 57 shots last season, and she will need to be as aggressive against the Hoosiers to wear down their physical defense. Le Marchand was also Duke’s team leader in goals and was tied for second in assists in 2012.
“Emmie has such a solid role on this team and I think it’s clear what it is—the kid loves to score,” Duke head coach Pam Bustin said. “She’s coming back strong and determined and I think that’s just a continuation of a great preseason. I’m glad she’s on our team because I would hate to prepare a scouting report for her.”
Drexel features a similar defense-heavy approach, with a trio of veteran backs made up of senior Kristen Focht and juniors Allyson Fuller and Rebecca Warner.
The defense, however, will be without graduated goalkeeper Jantein Gunter, who was second in the CAA in saves and save percentage and first in shutouts. As the Dragons rely more on their offense, the Blue Devils will need to shut down senior Lindsay McArdie, the CAA preseason player of the year. McArdie led Drexel in goals last season and was second on the team in shots.
“[Drexel] is a strong, fast team,” Blazing said. “We’ve been getting ready for two teams that play a little differently than ACC teams.”
After shutting out James Madison 2-0 in its first scrimmage, Duke fell to North Carolina 4-1 in its final exhibition game. But with a long preseason now behind them, the Blue Devils are ready to begin the regular season.
“Our mission is clear,” Bustin said. “And everyone has been absolutely committed to that mission since the season ended in November.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.