The rights to go to the final four in College Station, Texas are almost in the bag. First, however, the Blue Devils must travel to the land of the Golden Dome and the home of soccer's version of the greatest show on turf.
Duke (10-5-7) will square off against No. 11 Notre Dame (18-4-2) Friday night at 7 p.m. at Alumni Field in South Bend, Indiana.
The Fighting Irish have scored 61 goals this year, which stands in stark contrast to the Blue Devils' 32. It comes as no surprise, then, that all 11 Duke players on the field, including the forwards, will have to step in and help keep Notre Dame's offense at bay.
"We are just going to have to play really good team defense, and it's going to start with our forwards," head coach Robbie Church said. "When the ball turns over, [our players] are going to have to not let their backs play entry balls into their midfielders and into their forwards."
Church singled out senior goalkeeper Alison Lipsher in particular as a player who needs to step up and be a difference maker.
"Ali is going to have to be big," Church said. "There is no question about it, and she does not mind that. She likes the pressure, and she is going to have to pull some back, probably, that may be goals. But we believe in her very, very strongly, and she is capable."
The Fighting Irish offense is especially dangerous off of set plays. Its first goal against its Sweet Sixteen opponent, North Carolina, came off of a flip throw that was headed past the goalie by Big East Co-Player of the Year Brittany Bock. With the 3-2 win over the Tar Heels, Notre Dame became the first team since 1990 to register three goals against the perennial powerhouse.
Junior defender Christie McDonald is not worried, though, and said Duke will be ready after preparing for its Nov. 25 win over Indiana, which runs a similar offensive attack. McDonald also said playing in Bloomington prepared the team for the cold weather it will likely contend with again.
The Blue Devils, in addition, are getting help from an even more unlikely source: their rivals just a few miles away.
Church said the Tar Heels were helpful in talking with his staff, supplying Duke with game film from their loss last weekend to the Fighting Irish.
One thing the film made obvious was Notre Dame's physical style. The Fighting Irish have registered 19 yellow cards on the year, which is more than triple the Blue Devils' six. In years past, Church said this would be cause for concern, but the competitive spirit of this year's team combined with the strength of the conference teams in the regular season looks to be an equalizing factor.
"The ACC prepares us for games like this, and that's the great thing about playing in the league," Church said. "They're a great team, Notre Dame is, but we've played a lot of great teams."
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