Losing a rivalry game is never easy.
Unable to keep pace with an explosive Tar Heel offense, the No. 3 Blue Devils fell to No. 2 North Carolina 12-6 Friday night at Koskinen Stadium. Duke seized a quick 1-0 lead in the early going behind the offensive prowess of senior attack Kerrin Maurer, but careless turnovers and miscommunication on defense enabled the Tar Heels to storm back and take a decisive 5-1 lead with 14:36 remaining in the first half.
Despite the Blue Devils’ best efforts at a comeback, North Carolina led the rest of the way, outscoring Duke 5-2 in the second half and cruising to its first ACC regular season title since 2012. With the win, the Tar Heels locked up the No. 1 seed in the upcoming ACC tournament. The Blue Devils will travel to Charlottesville, Va., as the second seed.
“This game is always a huge rivalry game and the emotions that come with it are hard to downplay,” Maurer said. “At times we let that emotion get the best of us in this game. Moving forward we know what we need to fix.”
Friday’s Tobacco Road showdown marked Duke’s lowest scoring output of the season. Maurer led the Blue Devils (13-2, 5-2 in the ACC) with two goals and teammate Katie Trees posted two points—one goal and one assist—but Duke struggled to sneak anything past Tar Heel goalkeepers Caylee Waters and Megan Ward.
This season, the Blue Devil offense has been one of the more potent scoring units in the nation, averaging 13.6 goals per game prior to Friday’s defeat. But North Carolina (13-2, 6-2) managed to disrupt Duke’s offensive scheme by pressuring ball carriers in transition, causing 13 turnovers and taking away offensive opportunities.
In the second half, the effects of the Tar Heels’ defensive pressure began to show. Duke’s ball-carriers began to show signs of fatigue after being ruthlessly pursued by powder-blue jerseys for more than 30 minutes. Succumbing to the North Carolina pressure, the Blue Devils committed nine second-half turnovers, which sapped the home team of all its momentum down the stretch.
“We didn’t play the game that we usually play,” Maurer said. “Whether that was because of the emotion of the game or just in general. There were times were we didn’t look like the top ACC team that we’ve been all year.”
On defense, lapses in concentration led to easy scoring opportunities for the Tar Heels. Twice in the first half, North Carolina scorers were left unguarded only feet from the goal. Both occasions resulted in easy scores for the Tar Heels, allowing the visiting squad to build a three-goal lead heading into the break.
Duke faired only slightly better in the second half, as North Carolina went to work on offense, using a mix of picks and cuts to open holes in the Blue Devil defense. Despite better one-one-one coverage by Duke, the Tar Heels were still able to pass the ball inside for turn-and-shoot opportunities. Although the Blue Devils’ offense struggled to take hold against a stout North Carolina defense, Duke’s defensive lapses ultimately cemented the losing outcome.
“We’ve been a strong and super solid defensive group all year,” head coach Kerstin Kimel said. “We play solid, straight-up good, fundamental defense and we got away from it tonight…. You just can’t do that against a great team. UNC made us pay.”
Losing to the Tar Heels might mean Duke misses out on some serious bragging rights, but that should not be a problem for this year’s team—these Blue Devils already have plenty to brag about.
Guided by Kimel to a 9-0 start that marked the program’s best opening stretch since 2006, Duke has knocked off four ranked teams—Northwestern, Syracuse, Ohio State and Notre Dame—and will still head to Charlottesville for the ACC tournament semifinals Friday. It owns the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and has shown the potential to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
“We play in the toughest conference in the country and I am really proud of how hard we have worked to develop over the course of the season,” Kimel said. “I have a lot of faith that we will take a good, hard look at ourselves and we will rebound in the ACC tournament.”
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