On a day honoring Duke's five seniors, the class of 2002 showcased their talent and work ethic Sunday afternoon as they took on No. 5 North Carolina (12-4, 2-2 in the ACC). Although Duke's great improvement from their meeting with the Tar Heels earlier this season was evident, the No. 14 Blue Devils (9-6, 0-2) were dealt a 3-1 loss by UNC.
All of the Tar Heels' scoring came from freshmen Kerry Falgowski, who scored three times en route to her first career hat trick. She was assisted on her first goal by a diving Kelsey Keeran with 26:31 left in the first half of play.
A very aggressive and spirited first half of play ensued, resulting in two green caution cards--one for Duke senior Angie North and one for UNC senior Susan Hayes. With 15:40 left in the first half, a Tar Heel opportunity was stymied by a pile of Blue Devils who fell in front of Duke goalie Hallie Smith, who had six saves on the day.
Duke freshman Johanna Bischof would soon answer UNC's goal with 9:34 left in the first half. Duke sophomore Jess Fluck, the ACC freshman of the year in 2000, created the opportunity with a bullet that bounced off Tar Heel goalie Amy Tran. Bischof collected the rebound and put it past Tran for her ACC-leading 14th goal.
"We played them very hard in the first half," Duke coach Liz Tchou said. "Their defense was very strong."
The second half proved to be disappointing one for Duke as UNC took control of the pace of the game. Despite strong leadership and play from Duke seniors Robin Merrit and Kim Susko, the Tar Heels took the scoring edge when Falgowski was assisted by freshman Charlotte Plugge with 20:40 left in the contest. She added the finishing touches to her hat trick when she hit a rocket off a penalty corner past Smith with 17:20 to go.
"We played with a lot of heart and hustle--we have lots of bloody knees and elbows," senior Liz Batemann said. "We just didn't put it all together."
Duke did have its share of opportunities in the second half. A Duke attack with 15:30 left in the second half was marked by two shots on goal, but the Tar Heels cleared the ball before the Blue Devils could score. Another chance came on a penalty stroke by senior Angie North with 10:00 left in the half. Her shot sailed just left of the goal.
"I thought it was a very good, physical game," she said. "They capitalized on opportunities and that was the difference."
UNC coach Karen Shelton agreed that the Blue Devils played well despite the loss.
"Duke is a very good team," she said. "They could have very easily have beaten us today. They are very deserving of their national ranking and probably deserve a higher one. Duke will have a big win very soon."
Noting that the Blue Devils have tried to change their preparation for playing UNC, Tchou is confident the field hockey program is moving in the right direction.
"We play our best when we're having fun, we're focused, composed, and poised," Tchou said. "We've played them tight in the past, but we wanted to change our approach because it hadn't been working... I'm really proud of our team, so let's look at how we've approached this game and I'd say we've turned the corner."
Tchou was also very proud of the effort her seniors displayed on Senior Day.
"They're a very special class. I have a lot of respect for each and every one of them. They all have a strong work ethic and leadership and that just filters through the team."
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