In 2011, the Blue Devils reached the Final Four but fell a game short of a berth in the national title game after a 14-8 defeat at the hands of Maryland.
Nine freshmen stepped on campus that fall looking to help Duke get back to the NCAA tournament's final weekend. Now seniors, eight of those veteran Blue Devils will get their final shot at a deep postseason run beginning Sunday.
Third-seeded Duke will battle the winner of the first-round matchup between James Madison and Southern California Sunday at 2 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium for a spot in the quarterfinals. The veterans have accounted for nearly 70 percent of the Blue Devils' scoring—with 159 of the squads 229 goals through 18 games—and their play will likely determine how far Duke can go as its seniors aim for their first trip past the national quarterfinals.
“[The seniors] are going to set up the tone this week and the team is going to follow their lead,” head coach Kerstin Kimel said.
Attacker Kerrin Maurer is the Blue Devils' top scorer this season, finding the back of the net 37 times. The Setauket, N.Y., native was named to the ACC All-Tournament Team, ranking seventh in scoring in program history with 155 tallies and fifth in scoring average with 2.1 goals per contest.
The senior is also the squad’s top facilitator with 27 assists and is Duke's all-time leader in assisting average with 1.5 feeds per contest, ranking second with 115 total assists throughout her career.
Midfielder Taylor Trimble has been Maurer's running mate for the past four years, scoring 32 goals this year and 129 in her Blue Devil career, good for 13th in the program record books. The Rosemont, Pa., native received All-ACC honors for the third straight year after surpassing the 30-goal plateau for the third consecutive season.
Trimble and Maurer rank second and third in Duke history in minutes played—logging more than 9,000 combined—a product of their instant contributions to Kimel's squad as freshmen. But they are far from the only dangerous senior weapons in the Duke offense.
Attacker Brigid Smith and midfielder Katie Trees have scored more than 30 tallies this season, enjoying breakout campaigns after combining for just 27 scores in 2014. Trees—who also spent four years running up and down the field at Koskinen Stadium as a member of the Duke women's soccer team—had registered just 15 points in her Blue Devil career until exploding for 48 as a senior, earning her a spot alongside Trimble as a second-team All-ACC selection.
After battling injuries early in her career, the San Diego native has been a consistent source of offense for Kimel, turning in a career-best five goals and two assists in a 17-3 win against Notre Dame March 1.
Smith has delivered three or more goals in six contests this season and 10 throughout her career as a Blue Devil, totaling 79 scores in 58 contests. The Rockville, Md., native became the 23rd player in Duke history to reach 100 points in the ACC quarterfinals against Louisville April 24.
Midfielders Chelsea Landon and Erin Tenneson have combined for 25 goals this season. Landon totaled 16 in her first three seasons as a Blue Devil a season-high three scores in the 17-7 win against William & Mary Feb. 22. After being held scoreless in her freshman campaign, Tenneson—now a senior captain—notched nine tallies in both her sophomore and junior seasons before pouring in 13 this year.
The six veterans have also captured 163 of the team’s 215 draw controls this campaign.
“It’s remarkable that, in the senior class, almost all have played since their freshman year,” junior goalkeeper Kelsey Duryea said. “They’re all such different people but play remarkably well together and get along off the field. They help us face challenges that we would’ve never reacted to in the past.”
The impact of the Duke seniors is not limited to the offensive end of the field, as two veterans have used their experience to help guide a defensive line mostly consisting of underclassmen.
Gabby Moise is the Blue Devils' lone senior defender and has scooped up 10 groundballs in 18 games.The Princeton, N.J., native has been a thorn in the side of opponents throughout her career, ranking 18th in Duke history in turnovers caused with 62. Moise is also seventh with 3,844 minutes played heading into Sunday's NCAA tournament opener.
Goalkeeper Angel Thompson missed the 2013 campaign due to an ACL injury and has not seen frequent minutes in her three other seasons as a Blue Devil. The Woodlands, Texas, native has seen action in four appearances this year in relief of Duryea.
With so many offensive threats, the seniors will have to score for Duke to advance past Sunday's second-round matchup toward the Final Four. But just as important will be the intangibles Maurer, Trimble, Moise and company bring to the field, having gone through all sorts of valuable experiences during their careers that will keep them and their teammates poised during the NCAA tournament.
“We’re all very different but we have had an ability to really grow in the past four years, develop our chemistry as a class, and develop as players on and off the field,” Landon said. “[Having] a lot of experience on the field is one of the most important things coming down in this final stretch of games. Whether we’re captains or not, we all look to each other to set an example to be leaders for the younger players.”
Amrith Ramkumar contributed reporting.
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