Duke will look to grab the Tar Heels by the horns this week and steer itself toward a redeeming NCAA tournament berth.
The Blue Devils will make the short trip to Chapel Hill to face No. 7 North Carolina Friday at 7 p.m. at Fetzer Field. Duke is coming off a hard-fought trip to Louisville, Ky., that ended in a scoreless tie but included some promising offensive signs. The Blue Devils quadrupled the Cardinals’ shot total—outshooting them 24-6—and will aim to carry their positive momentum into Friday’s match against the Tar Heels.
“It’s a little frustrating, especially for the players because I think we’re in a really good place,” Duke head coach Robbie Church said. “I think we’re at the best place we’ve been at all year now. I think the kids are really working hard on both sides of the ball.”
The matchup has extra meaning not only because it marks a new chapter of a classic rivalry, but also because Duke finds itself in a position to prove itself to the NCAA tournament selection committee. If the Blue Devils defeat one of the top teams in the nation come Friday, they will move one step closer to returning to NCAA postseason action after a 2014 campaign that left Duke without a spot in the tournament for the first time since 2002.
North Carolina (11-2-1, 4-2-0 in the ACC) is returning from a disappointing two-game road stretch during which it lost its first two matches of the season. The Tar Heels stood atop the national rankings before their recent skid, but have since plunged six spots.
Still undefeated at home, North Carolina packs a high-powered offense that falls just outside the top 10 nationally in goals scored per game with 2.5. Despite leading the ACC with 308 shots taken this season and ranking fourth nationally in shots per game, the Blue Devils (7-4-4, 1-2-3) average only 1.7 goals per game, so the Duke offense will need to improve its efficiency in order to come away with a win. Church said he hopes that his team will be able to capitalize on the scoring chances presented to them.
“We’re creating the opportunities,” Church said. “This is actually the first time I remember in 15 years that we’re leading the ACC in shots, but our shot-to-goal ratio is not very good. It’s taking us way too many shots to score goals, and that came to bite us [against Louisville].”
The Blue Devils will also need a strong showing from their stalwart defense that has performed at a high level all season. Duke already touts nine shutouts and has held its opponents to an average of 0.7 goals per game, but is going up against a high-powered North Carolina offense that ranks third nationally in shots per contest with 21.4 and sixth nationally in assists per game with 2.6. The Blue Devils will need to keep an eye out for North Carolina forward Jessica Scarpa, a 2014 All-ACC freshman team selection who leads the team with 18 points this season.
“We’re not going to change anything for them. We’ve got one of the top defenses in the country…. We just [have to] play defensively like we have been doing,” Church said. “Because Carolina is so quick and fast, you can’t defend with just one player, you have to make sure you get two players there, so that will be a big emphasis for us this week.”
Church noted that for the Blue Devils, much of the challenge will be mental rather than physical. North Carolina is an intimidating team that Duke cannot shy away from if it wants to bring a win back to Durham.
“They’re a very physical team, they’re a very aggressive team. We have to handle that physicality really well, and that’s going to be a big key,” Church said. “[Our] tactics are important on both sides of the ball, but mentally we have to handle that physicality that they have and not let that take us out of the rhythm of our game.”
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