Duke (5-0) looks to continue its undefeated season against No. 7 Princeton Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Princeton, N.J. The Tigers (2-0) have faced only two opponents this season, neither in the top 10, and the Blue Devils are running with the momentum they garnered in their 14-13 victory over No. 5 Maryland.
But No. 3 Duke still has some things to work on-namely, ground balls.
"Coming off Maryland, we got killed off the draw," senior defender Sarah Kirchhofer said. "We need to help each other coming up with them and with ground balls."
The Terrapins topped Duke 22-7 in draw controls, but the Blue Devils still managed to prevail. Against Princeton, Duke will look to junior Carolyn Davis and freshman defender Emma Hamm, both named national players of the week after Saturday's win, to step up and take charge.
Davis, also the ACC Player of the Week, scored two goals in the Blue Devils' 16-14 victory over the Tigers last year, and currently leads the team with 19 goals and 27 points.
"One of Carolyn's strengths is that she's mentally tough," head coach Kerstin Kimel said. "Having her in a position of leadership on our offense sets a really nice tone for us."
Hamm, womenslax.com's National Rookie of the Week, had three of Duke's seven draw controls against the Terrapins. With 14 on the season, the freshman's number is second only to senior Allie Johnson's 18.
Duke hopes to use its experience against relatively untested Princeton, a team that has only topped No. 14 Johns Hopkins and Rutgers this season. The Blue Devils' schedule, on the other hand, has been significantly more challenging.
"Every game this season we've gotten better in one area or a couple areas," Kimel said. "We're taking one game at a time trying to get better each game.... So far, so good."
Youth and depth are the other two factors that Duke is depending on to top the Tigers. Three freshmen-Sarah Bullard, Christie Kaestner and Hamm-are among the top Blue Devil scorers, and 13 have recorded points this season. Although Princeton will likely target Davis as the main threat on offense, Duke has planned its counterattack.
"What's nice is it's going to be hard for them to key in on just one or two people," Kimel said. "They will probably try to on Carolyn, but we're making some changes in our offense so it isn't as predictable."
Mostly, however, the Blue Devils have focused on internal improvements rather than what the Tigers will bring to the game-especially since they have been on limited display.
"We just have been focusing on ourselves," junior midfielder Jess Adam said. "We'll be able to benefit from our experience against higher-caliber teams in terms of our strategy."
The Tigers enter the game coming off of a 16-8 rout of Rutgers and seeking revenge for their two-goal loss last year.
"They're always a very well coached team, always disciplined," Kimel said. "Our game is always a good game, that's the bottom line-always a close game."
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