The fourth-ranked Blue Devils began their ACC slate against Virginia Tech by tying a school record with eight straight victories. Now, they hope to make history by winning their ninth straight.
Duke looks to continue its dominance in its second ACC game at 7 p.m. Thursday at Notre Dame at Alumni Stadium in South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame will also try to continue to make waves by defeating its second straight ranked opponent after its upset win against 11th-ranked Clemson on Saturday.
"The ACC is tough," Blue Devil head coach Robbie Church said. "This game against Notre Dame is just one of many tough games."
Duke's veteran team has played great defense during their win streak, allowing only three goals. Senior captain EJ Proctor now has four shutouts after the win against Virginia Tech. The other senior captains, Imani Dorsey and Ashton Miller, both scored against Virginia Tech Sunday. Dorsey leads the Blue Devils (8-1-0, 1-0-0 in the ACC) in every major offensive statistical category with seven goals, 16 points, 31 shots and 21 shots on goal.
"Veteran leaders are important," Church said. "They've been in these situations before and bring everyone's play up due to experience."
A win Thursday would break the record for the longest winning streak for in program history, but the streak is not the Blue Devils' main concern. As the season progresses and the schedule continue to get tougher, Church is more concerned with how they prepare each week than how long they can keep their run going.
Notre Dame (5-2-2, 1-0-0 in the ACC) entered the season as the defending ACC regular-season champs, but it still has something to prove after a disappointing postseason that featured losses in the ACC semifinals and the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Fighting Irish returned nine starters from last year, but met their first pitfall by losing to then-No. 11 South Carolina in double overtime 1-0 on Sept. 1. Notre Dame lost again to Ohio State in double overtime a week later, but quickly bounced back with two straight four-goal games, culminating in the 4-2 upset win against Clemson.
Star sophomore Natalie Jacobs, who has 15 points on the season, won ACC Player of the Week after her career-high four points in the win against the Tigers.
Duke will have to contain Notre Dame's explosive offense, which accounts for 2.2 goals per game and 17.7 shots per game. However, Duke's impressive defense has only given up one goal in the month of September and will look to keep that trend going on the road Thursday.
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