The last time the Blue Devils lost was more than 10 months ago when Virginia beat them, 15-13, in the NCAA semifinals May 20, 2005.
No. 2 Duke (9-0, 3-0 in the ACC) will have a chance to avenge that loss and solidify itself atop the ACC Saturday at 1 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium. If the team wishes to do so, it will have to correct its recent habit of building early leads, only to relax and allow its opponents to creep back into the game.
In last year's season-ending loss, the Blue Devils jumped out on Virginia, 5-2, early, but that lead slipped away amid a 7-1 first-half run and was lost for good during a five-goal second-half barrage by the Cavaliers (9-2, 2-1).
So far this season, the Blue Devils have counted on fast starts to gain an early edge. Even though Duke has yet to blow any of its leads during its undefeated run, it has been susceptible to sporadic charges by opposing teams.
After the Blue Devils jumped out to a 7-1 advantage over No. 4 Georgetown March 18, the Hoyas crawled their way back into the game and were only down a goal with 10 minutes to play. Duke, however, held on for a 10-8 victory.
"I think we've worked on not being satisfied when we get up by a certain number of goals," junior attacker Kristen Waagbo said. "We just really want to stay aggressive and savvy and not allow other teams to get back into the game."
Virginia is not the same team that held Duke to one goal in the final 11 minutes of the teams' previous matchup. But the Cavaliers return plenty of experience, such as senior attacker Tyler Leachman-who is tied with Duke senior attacker Katie Chrest for second in the ACC with 28 goals-and senior midfielder Nikki Lieb, who, along with Leachman, was part of Virginia's 2004 National Championship team.
Although Virginia dropped games to No. 9 Richmond and No. 5 North Carolina, the Cavaliers rebounded with a 16-3 win over No. 8 Princeton March 25. The Tigers are a team that the Blue Devils barely squeaked by in a 13-11 victory March 12. Blue Devil junior defender Meghan Ferguson said Virginia will likely use a balanced and disciplined attack against her team.
"Right now they are running a very patterned offense," Ferguson said. "They are very solid, but we think that after watching a lot of film this week, we will have the opportunity to scout out patterns and really be able to anticipate what they are going to show us on Saturday."
If the Blue Devils stay true to form and establish themselves early against the Cavaliers, it will be up to the Duke defense and transition game to prevent a comeback. Kimel said the problem all year for her team has been becoming lackadaisical and careless with the ball when it gets ahead. Turnovers by her players allow other teams to close the gap and create closer games, Kimel said.
When Duke was up, 15-8, against Vanderbilt March 26, several Blue Devil mistakes allowed the Commodores to mount a mini-rally, as they fired off three straight goals. The Duke defense, however, clamped down and held the Commodores scoreless for the final 7:37.
The game Saturday has greater implications than simply retribution for the Blue Devils. If Duke can emerge victorious, then it will not only set a school record with its 10th straight win to start the year, but it will also stay undefeated in ACC conference play.
Duke has only one conference game left after Virginia-against a weaker Boston College opponent. With a victory Saturday, the Blue Devils will strongly help their chances of not only capturing the regular-season title but also securing a first round bye in the ACC Championships.
"We're hoping to get off to a good start against a tough conference opponent in a game that has seeding implications for the tournament," Kimel said. "We want to make sure we take care of business instead of worrying about anything that happened last year."
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