With four seniors trying to fill in the leadership roles of a nationally-ranked seven-woman graduating class from last season, the Blue Devils haven’t been without hiccups.
However, with continued improvements against a variety of nonconference opponents, Duke is showing that it has the potential to be a powerhouse when all of its pieces fit together.
The No. 14 Blue Devils will continue their nonconference slate Thursday at 7 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium against Nebraska. All season Duke has boasted a stout defense, allowing just one goal in its past four contests. The Blue Devils have, however, struggled to finish despite repeatedly outshooting opponents, leading recent matches against the likes of Marquette and Providence to come out a bit too close for comfort.
“It’s a difficult weekend because we have our Nike tournament the weekend before, and then the ACC always starts a weekend after. This is really the sandwich in between two really big weekends,” Duke head coach Robbie Church said. “This would give us a chance to have a pretty good nonconference record if we can get two wins here. That’s not going to be easy but we’re looking forward to it.”
A large part of the Blue Devils’ nonconference success has been a defense that has only given up three goals the entire season. Headlined by redshirt sophomore netminder Brooke Heinsohn—who boasts 22 saves for the season and an 88.0 save percentage—and backed up by experienced defenders Chelsea Burns and Karlie Paschall, Duke has a back line that even the most aggressive of offenses would be hard pressed to break through.
Although the shots haven’t fallen for the Blue Devils (4-1-1), it isn’t for lack of trying. Duke has outshot its opponents 99-57, holding a 48-23 margin in offensive attempts alone.
These margins have not always been conducive to offensive efficiency, as in the Blue Devils’ 2-0 win over Marquette. Duke outshot the Golden Eagles 22-4, yet failed to register a goal until 17 shots into the match.
“At the beginning of the season I don’t think we were playing at our best by any means, but you saw flashes of good things and the coaches would really emphasize those things by saying ‘more of that, we need more of that,’” senior Kayla McCoy said. “The Marquette game was the first game where we played strong the majority of the game, but we had some weak points in the game where we still weren’t quite good enough. We’re getting there, it’s just a building process of being able to stay switched on.”
One of the keys to the Blue Devils’ ability to relentlessly pressure opponents on the offensive end has come from an attacking scheme featuring talented freshmen in addition to well-seasoned upperclassmen.
Of Duke’s freshman class, forward Marykate McGuire and midfielder Mackenzie Pluck have been outstanding on the attack, accounting for half of the Blue Devils’ total goals for the season. Backed up by junior Ella Stevens, who has five assists, and seniors Taylor Racioppi and McCoy regularly driving the ball deep into enemy territory, it’s no wonder Duke averages 16.5 shots per game to their opponents’ 9.5.
If the Blue Devils can find their rhythm on offense and continue to gel its older and younger pieces, Duke will have the talent and depth to take their conference competition by storm. Standing in the way of ACC play is one more week of nonconference play, starting with Nebraska (3-2-1).
The Cornhuskers have yet to find consistency in their season, taking down Oregon State 3-0 before falling 2-1 to then-No. 18 Washington State. They were then walloped by Baylor 6-0.
Nebraska has struggled defensively, giving up 11 goals in its past six games. Goalkeeper Aubrei Corder has a meager save percentage of 47.4, notching just nine saves through nonconference play. With a backline primarily composed of freshmen and sophomores, the Cornhuskers have struggled with opponents that press on offense—something the Blue Devils will definitely do Thursday.
Nebraska’s offense has been driven by senior Savanah Uveges, who has notched almost a third of the team’s goals for the season and shares the lead in assists. Backed up by junior Brenna Ochoa, the Cornhuskers have a competent offensive tandem that can draw out open looks against unaware defenses.
For a young team like Duke, getting another strong nonconference win would be key to build confidence heading into ACC play.
“We know as a coaching staff what the players can do, what the players got to do, and that we’re comfortable every time we put ourselves out there. We’re going to compete and really play hard for the full 90 minutes,” Church said. “Not just first night but the second night and the second day…. We’re at the point where we just need to be very consistent…. Now we aren’t changing things so much but instead we’re fine tuning areas.”
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