Duke Carolina aggressive

No. 9 Duke and No. 2 North Carolina have a lot in common.

The two teams have the same 9-1-1 record, they both lost to the same Notre Dame team and they both enter Thursday's 8 p.m. matchup in Koskinen Stadium coming off decisive wins over ACC teams.

But despite these similarities, the two teams do have their differences. The Tar Heel offense has scored 26 goals in the past five games, while the dominating Duke defense has not allowed a goal to an opposing team in Koskinen over the last 650 minutes, setting a new school record.

So how can Duke beat the Goliath of women's soccer for the first time since 2005?

"We need to play really well defensively, and that means from our forwards to our midfielders to our defenders," Duke head coach Robbie Church said. "And the other thing is... we gotta be very aggressive and play hungry as a team."

Strategically, the Blue Devils do not intend to change much, especially given the way they have played so far.

"We're not really changing our game at all," senior goalkeeper Cassidy Powers said. "We're playing the way we've been playing all season... and just [making] sure we shut down their offense and do what we need to do to win the game."

Although tonight's high-pressure game will have an impact on the ACC standings, the Blue Devils are calm and relaxed. Even as the two rivals jostle for position in the ever-competitive league, the players on the field know the game only counts for one win or loss.