Amid all the festivities of commencement weekend in Durham, the Blue Devils will take their home field for an NCAA tournament game for the first time since 2012.
Third-seeded Duke will take on Southern California Sunday at 2 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium in its 18th straight postseason appearance. The No. 3 seed is the highest the squad has received since 2007.
“It’s our most favorite time of the year for both players and coaches,” head coach Kerstin Kimel said. “We get to feel that we are professional lacrosse players and our sole focus is on trying to position ourselves to make the farthest run that we possibly can in the tournament.”
After a comeback effort fell just short in a 9-8 thriller against No. 17 Johns Hopkins in the regular-season finale May 3, the Blue Devils (14-4) will look to reach the NCAA quarterfinals for the third consecutive year behind a highly productive offense.
Kimel’s squad has scored in double-figures in all but two of its 18 contests this season, averaging 12.7 tallies—the 21st best mark in the country—and 27.0 shots per contest. Four seniors—Kerrin Maurer, Brigid Smith, Katie Trees and Taylor Trimble—provide most of the firepower, pacing Duke’s offense with 134 of the team’s 229 scores.
Maurer has found the back of the net 37 times and ranks seventh in program history with 155 goals. Fellow attacker Smith and midfielders Trimble and Trees have all scored more than 30 goals this season and classmates Chelsea Landon and captain Erin Tenneson have added double-figures in goals this season as well.
Freshman Kyra Harney has had a crucial role in the Blue Devil attack as well, registering 27 goals and 13 assists.
Duke averages 11.9 draw controls per game, with Maurer and Trees combining for 100 in 18 games. Maurer is also Duke’s top facilitator as she has found her teammates for scores 27 times. The Setauket, N.Y., native needs only one more feed to tie an eight-year-old mark set by Kristen Waagbo, the program’s leader in assisting with 116 helpers.
“Our senior class has had a lot of different experiences over the past three or four years now,” Landon said. “It’s just wanting it more than your opponent. Everyone at this point of the season is good no matter who you play with. It’s just having a competitive desire. You want to play for each other and for your school.”
Duke's defense—consisting largely of freshmen and sophomores—has been impressive in its own right this season.
In her third season in a Duke uniform, goalkeeper Kelsey Duryea has delivered 121 saves and allowed just 7.3 goals per contest, the 11th-best mark in the nation. The unit's lone senior defender, Gabby Moise, has scooped up 10 ground balls and provides her teammates with a wealth of experience, having played in 65 games in her four years in Durham. Sophomore Maura Schwitter and junior Claire Scarrone have teamed for 49 ground balls as well.
“Now we’re able to hold each other and count on all for the mistakes we have,” Duryea said. “This is do-or-die time and it’s the last time we get to spend together so we’re focusing on continuing to build team chemistry and continue to improve to the best that we can be.”
The Trojans (14-5) beat No. 19 James Madison 13-10 in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday in Durham and boast a prolific offense of their own, scoring 13.3 goals per contest and collecting 252 draw controls in 19 games.
Sophomore attacker Michaela Michael leads Southern California’s front line with 61 tallies and 13 assists but juniors Caroline de Lyra and Amanda Johansen have also combined for 75 goals and 46 feeds. Trojan goalkeeper Gussie Johns allows 8.3 goals per contest—the 17th-best mark in the country—and has totaled 98 saves and 46 ground balls in her freshman season.
To solve the Southern California defense, the Blue Devil offense must avoid the periods of stagnation that limited Duke to just one goal in the first half against the Blue Jays.
“At this time of the year, you have to be fresh,” Kimel said. “We’ve had some struggles particularly in our offense. We have been a bit stuck and still. Whether we switch some personnel or create different new looks, those are things you’ll see from us this week. But we do that every year. And it’s exciting for the kids that they have a lot of time to focus on just playing lacrosse now that the school is behind them.”
The winner of Sunday's game will meet either sixth-seeded Stony Brook or Princeton in Durham next weekend.
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