Having conquered some demons at last, the Blue Devils are riding high.
After a 15-9 win at No. 5 Northwestern Thursday, No. 8 Duke returns home to take on William and Mary Sunday at 1 p.m. The upset victory snapped an 11-game skid against the Wildcats, dating back to 2006.
When the Tribe come calling Sunday, the Blue Devils will look to extend a streak of their own. The hosts have defeated William and Mary in the teams' last seven meetings, with Duke holding a 15-2 edge in the all-team series.
As they have done all season, the Blue Devils (4-0) utilized their depth and balanced scoring attack against Northwestern, who has won seven national championships over the last eight years. Duke’s 15 goals came off the sticks of eight different players.
Duke’s senior leaders, Katie Trees and Kerrin Maurer, recorded four and three goals, respectively. The senior duo helped the Blue Devils maintain possession and extend their lead as they controlled the draw.
Thursday's game was played indoors to accommodate the frigid temperatures in Chicago. Although Sunday's forecast in Durham will not dip into single-digits, this week's winter weather will still throw a wrench in the regular schedule. Instead of playing at Koskinen Stadium, the Blue Devils and Tribe will play Sunday's game on the turf practice fields on Bassett Drive.
William and Mary (0-1) is accustomed to matchups with top-ranked competition. In addition to the Blue Devils, the Tribe’s nonconference schedule includes defending national champion and No. 1 Maryland, No.7 Virginia—which reached the NCAA semifinals a year ago—as well as No.13 Louisville.
In the Tribe’s season opener, the Terrapins jumped out to an early 8-0 lead. Throughout the rest of the contest, however, the Terrapins only outscored William and Mary by two goals en route to a 15-5 victory.
Seniors Ellen Shaffrey and Kaleigh Noon anchor the Tribe's scoring attack. Shaffrey is a threat to score whenever she has the ball and ranks 10th among William and Mary’s all-time scorers. Noon is known for her ability to facilitate and create scoring opportunities for teammates.
Unlike the Wildcats, who have struggled on the draw and lost that battle to Duke 17-9 Thursday, the Tribe has been successful on face-offs. In 2014, William and Mary relied on the draw to end its season with consecutive wins against Drexel and Old Dominion. Against Maryland, the Tribe won four of the last seven draws.
Duke's balance and depth have allowed it to keep players fresh and give freshmen an opportunity to get accustomed to the college game. Both of those luxuries could be important Sunday, as the Blue Devils will be playing their third game in seven days. William and Mary has not played since Feb. 15.
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