The last time a North Carolina soccer team faced the Blue Devils at Koskinen Stadium, the Duke men’s soccer team defeated the top-ranked Tar Heels in a thrilling 2-1 upset. According to women’s soccer head coach Robbie Church, his Blue Devil squad is looking to do the exact same thing.
Duke will take on No. 6 North Carolina at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Koskinen Stadium. The Blue Devils opened the season at the UNC Nike Classic in Chapel Hill, and the Tar Heels traveled to Durham for the Duke Nike Classic, but each time the two squads did not cross paths. As ACC rivals, however, the programs are already very familiar with one another.
“One of the things you have to deal with when you’re facing UNC is that you have to compete," Church said of the perennial national title contender. "They always play very hard, so you have to match that intensity.”
The Blue Devils (7-6-1, 3-2-1 in the ACC) are fresh off of a 2-1 win against Wake Forest Sunday. Sophomore Toni Payne's goal in the sixth minute against the Demon Deacons broke a lengthy scoring drought of 372 minutes, and freshman Ashton Miller sealed the win for Duke with a late second-half goal. Despite the long stretch without offensive productivity, Church believes in the Blue Devils' ability to score.
“We went three straight scoreless games, but we did get two goals out of last game against Wake Forest, so we feel more comfortable," Church said. "We are confident we can score goals.”
The Tar Heels (9-2-1, 6-0) enter Sunday's match on a dangerous winning streak, having won their first six contests in an always-difficult ACC schedule. North Carolina has not lost since late August, when the Tar Heels fell to Pepperdine by a 1-0 score in California.
Sunday will be a true test of how Duke matches up against one of the toughest teams in the ACC—and in the nation.
“We are a bit of an underdog team going into these final games, but we have a lot of talent to win, especially against some of the best teams in the country," Church said. "We just have to go out there and get the job done. We have to take on the underdog mentality and go out there with a lot of intensity.”
Church has high expectations not only going into Sunday’s game against North Carolina, but also heading into the last four games of the regular season. The Blue Devils have their eyes set on the NCAA tournament, but to get there, they must finish with a regular-season record of .500 or better.
Currently sitting at one game above that threshold, Duke faces a tough road ahead, facing three top-5 teams. After facing the Tar Heels Sunday, the Blue Devils round out conference play with tilts against No. 2 Florida State, Boston College and No. 5 Virginia.
Last season, the Blue Devils faced similar high-pressure games down the stretch, and were able to find a spot in the tournament field. Church's squad is hoping to draw on that experience to help propel Duke into the postseason for the 12th year in a row.
“The bottom line is that we have to win games to get to the NCAA tournament," Church said. "I firmly believe that if we go in there focused and concentrated we can win all of these remaining games. Our team is looking forward to the challenge, beginning with North Carolina.”
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