Coming off two blowout victories to start the season, Duke hopes to keep rolling against No. 19 Vanderbilt as the Commodores open their season Sunday at 1 p.m. in Nashville.
In the second game of a three-game road trip, the No. 5 Blue Devils (2-0) will look to continue their strong start against an experienced Vanderbilt team led by first-team All-American Ally Carey.
Carey, a senior who was recently selected to play for the U.S. senior national team, will lead the Vanderbilt offense. Last year, Carey tallied 40 points, including 29 goals and 11 assists. To keep Carey at bay, Duke will look to shore up their defensive front, which struggled at times against William & Mary, giving up 11 free position opportunities.
“Vanderbilt is generally an intensity-heavy team,” Kimel said. “They tend to do particular things on offense, and we’ll make sure our defense is ready for that.”
Redshirt senior Emma Hamm and freshman Taylor Trimble—who combined to win 13 draws against William & Mary—will be instrumental in keeping Carey from dominating the draw.
On the offensive side, Duke has dominated in the first two games, outshooting its opponents 85-31. Against Bucknell, the Blue Devils netted a program-record 25 goals. Duke followed that up with 18 more goals against William & Mary.
Duke fields a balanced attack led by freshman Kerrin Maurer and junior Mackenzie Hommel. Maurer, who tied a school record with five assists against Bucknell, leads the team with 12 points. Hommel has added five goals and three assists, and sophomore Molly Quirke leads the team with six goals.
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