The last time Duke played North Carolina just a few weeks ago, the two top-five teams were battling for the ACC regular-season title.
When they meet for the third time this year Friday, they will compete for a spot in the ACC tournament championship game with home-field advantage in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament also at stake.
The top-seeded Blue Devils will take on fifth-seeded North Carolina in the ACC tournament semifinals at 1 p.m. at Wake Forest’s Kentner Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. In the teams’ first regular-season meeting, North Carolina overcame an early 1-0 deficit with a three-goal onslaught in the second half to hold on for a 3-2 win in a nonconference game that was played because House Bill 2 led to openings in the rivals’ schedules.
But Duke got its revenge at home a few weeks ago, dominating the Tar Heels 3-0 led by redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sammi Steele to capture its first ACC regular-season title ever. The Blue Devils have had six days off since routing Richmond in their final regular season game, and hope to find a rhythm quickly Friday against North Carolina, which avenged its regular-season loss to fourth-seeded Louisville Thursday with a 3-2 win to set up Friday’s matchup.
“It’s a new season, and we’ve been talking about that,” Duke head coach Pam Bustin said Wednesday. “Teams are different in the postseason, and some teams keep to the details and finish it out in the critical moments and stay on task, and that’s the kind of team that we want to be. It does help to know [we’ve had wins in the past] but it really doesn’t matter. We have to come out and play our best game.”
Bustin earned ACC Coach of the Year honors this week, with several of her top players also earning all-conference recognition. Senior forward Heather Morris and junior defender Alyssa Chillano were named first-team All-ACC performers, and graduate student Aisling Naughton landed on the second team.
But despite their recent success and dynamic trio that has combined for 30 goals and 13 assists this year, the Blue Devils (15-2) know Friday’s game will be a major challenge. The Tar Heels (16-4) had beaten Duke in 15 of 16 matchups since 2006 before the Blue Devils’ 3-0 win, including an unbeaten streak dating back to September 2013 that included NCAA tournament wins each of the past two seasons.
“Postseason, you never know what’s going to happen,” junior defender Sarah Furey said Wednesday before North Carolina played Louisville. “Especially in the ACC tournament, it’s going to be crazy, and we already know that with the seedings and the way they [came] out. We’re really excited for whoever it is and ready to go.”
Furey and the Blue Devil defense peaked late in the regular season, allowing just three goals in the team’s last five contests as Duke overcame losses to the Tar Heels and Syracuse to take the nation’s top RPI into the postseason.
But the Blue Devils will need to key on North Carolina star Lauren Moyer to keep their momentum going.
Moyer scored all three Tar Heel goals in the second half Friday as the team overcame a 2-0 deficit to bring her season total to 20, with the York, Pa., native’s average of 1.0 goals per game ranking in the top 10 nationally. The senior was held scoreless the first two times Duke played North Carolina, but eight other Tar Heels have at least four goals this year and are capable of picking up the scoring if the Blue Devils key on Moyer.
On the other end of the field, Duke will look to keep turning defense into offense after outscoring teams 18-3 in the last quarter of the season. The Blue Devils will have to get past ACC Defensive Player of the Year Julia Young and North Carolina goalkeeper Alex Halpin to keep their offense humming.
But Duke showed it could control possession against its rival in the last contest, and hopes to use the same recipe to advance to the ACC tournament title game for the first time since 2011.
“We’re going to stay to our gameplan,” Bustin said. “From our history, and what we know from our experience about the ACC tournament, is that adrenaline kind of negates the effect of playing back-to-back games. Everyone is so amped up to play quality hockey, no matter what game you’re in.”
Ben Feder contributed reporting.
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