In 13 years of play, Duke has never lost to Virginia Tech. And if last week’s results are any indication, the No. 5 Blue Devils (6-1, 0-1 in the ACC) appear poised to make that 14 years.
Fresh off of three consecutive victories over ranked opponents, including No. 13 Vanderbilt and No. 9 Georgetown, the Blue Devils look to grab their first ACC victory as they take on the Hokies tonight at Koskinen Stadium.
“I’ve been pleased so far with the outcomes,” head coach Kerstin Kimel said, “but also we’re making progress with different areas of our game.”
Kimel was quick to caution that this is not the Virginia Tech of years past. The Hokies (6-2, 1-0) are coming off of an upset over No. 16 Boston College and average 14 goals per game.
“Virginia Tech presents challenges for us,” Kimel said. “Their offense is very prolific, they’ve scored a ton of goals, but our defense is young and has been coming together nicely.”
Virginia Tech attacker Allie Emala was named the ACC offensive player of the week following her five-point outburst in the win over Boston College. Kimel cautions that Emala and the Hokies’ quick tempo style of play will be a test for the Duke defense.
“Virginia Tech likes to run and gun, so that presents a different set of challenges. Winning the draw will be critical, as will having the ball and being very efficient with our offense. Playing our style is important.”
The Blue Devil defense is coming off its best performance of the season, in which the squad allowed just five goals, its lowest total in two years. Junior goalie Mollie Mackler was named ACC defensive player of the week after her career-best 15-save performance against Georgetown. Mackler missed most of last year due to injury, but according to Kimel, has made enormous strides this season.
“Out of everyone on the team Molly has made the most progress,” Kimel said. “Georgetown is a pretty prolific offense, and for her to have her career game against them is a testament to how hard she’s worked.”
Mackler is quick, however, to deflect praise to the Duke defense as a whole.
“The defense as a unit has come a long way in terms of confidence and working together.” Mackler said. “We’ve had a lot of good experiences together that we’ve grown from, and it’s bred a lot of confidence.”
The key matchup will be between the two ACC award recipients, but Mackler feels she already has an advantage.
“Defense is a unit after all,” Mackler said, “so it’s always better than one.”
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