After a successful rescue mission on the back of two Karlie Paschall penalty kicks Thursday night, Duke looks to put two halves together before entering conference play.
Facing its last nonconference opponent, it is now or never for the Blue Devils.
No. 14 Duke is set to take on Old Dominion Sunday at 5 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium. This match marks the last game of a five-game homestand for the Blue Devils—a stretch that has been challenging on both the offensive and defensive sides. The defense supported Duke through the first three matches, allowing only one goal, but it was the offense that carried the Blue Devils in their 3-1 win against Nebraska. The game saw standout performances from sophomores Paschall and Tess Boade on the offensive side.
“The underclassmen prepared hard over the summertime and prepped mentally and physically. This was going to be their opportunity and their chance to come and prove they wanted to keep the program going in that direction,” head coach Robbie Church said. “A lot of people thought, ‘God, you’re losing all these players, you’re probably going to take a step back.’ But we, inside the program, knew that there was a lot of talent. We have been really happy to see how they’ve all contributed.”
Duke’s nonconference success can also be attributed to sharp play by redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Brooke Heinsohn, who has posted four shutouts, tying for second in the ACC. She has 24 saves on the season and a save percentage of .857.
A relatively young team following the graduation of nine seniors, the Blue Devils have struggled with consistency. In their games so far, they have posted more than twice as many goals in the second half as in the first.
Duke (5-1-1) benefits from more opportunities in set-piece scenarios than their opponents, tagging more than three times as many corners this season as their opponents. The Blue Devils, however, have not yet converted on a corner this season and are working to sharpen this part of their game before entering ACC play.
“We’ve been very close on a lot of corners. That’s probably something, as we head into the second half of the season—as we head into ACC play—we need focus on,” Church said. “We need to have three or four goals in ACC play, or from Sunday on, that we can say, ‘This came off the corner or indirectly off the corner.’”
A dark horse, senior defender Chelsea Burns has played a key role in the Blue Devils’ success this season, especially with regard to her stamina and her ability to head the ball. Burns almost converted Duke’s first corner against the Cornhuskers with a hard header that rattled off the goal posts. The Jacksonville, Fla., native has played every minute of every game since the 110-minute scoreless draw at Georgetown Aug. 23.
Kayla McCoy—Burns’ classmate and powerful offensive weapon—has also proven to be vital to the Blue Devils’ success this season. McCoy is only one goal away from breaking into the top 10 on Duke's all-time scoring list, behind the likes of Caitlin Connolly, Carolyn Riggs and Kaitlyn Kerr. Her four assists are tied for second on the team behind junior Ella Stevens, who herself has broken into the career assist record book for the Blue Devils.
The Monarchs (2-2-2) also depend heavily on their upperclassmen for their success. Redshirt senior Natalie Johnson and seniors Kira Laurento and Iris Achterhof have combined for 13 points on the season, including four of Old Dominion’s 10 goals.
“They’re really well-coached and they have good athletes. They are a very disciplined playing team. It’s not a game where we just show up and walk out with a win,” Church said. “ACC starts next week, so a lot of people are getting excited about that—a lot of people come to Duke for that. We have to make sure we don’t go to ACC until after this game is over.”
The Monarchs are coming off two straight losses to Virginia foes VCU and George Mason and are looking to continue their offensive success from earlier in their season. Before the two losses to the Rams and the Patriots, Old Dominion had outscored its opponents 8-1. The Monarchs also shoot twice as much as their opponents.
In the last matchup between Duke and Old Dominion, the Blue Devils pulled out a strong 3-1 victory on the back of a Burns penalty kick and a McCoy goal. Duke dominated on the stat sheet, outshooting the Monarchs, 16-2, half of which were on goal.
“Last year was actually one of our more difficult games. I thought they did a couple things—in their formation and in how they pressed us and where they picked us up in different parts of the field—that we didn’t expect,” Church said. “I thought they played very well last year. It was 3-1, but it was a hard fought 3-1.”
The match closes out the Blue Devils’ nonconference slate, and Duke will have some time off before traveling to Syracuse next Sunday to begin ACC play.
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