This weekend, some of Duke’s best players may be taking the field at home for the last time in their storied careers.
Kelsey Duryea and Claire Scarrone—anchors of a top-20 Blue Devil defense—along with midfielder Maddy Acton, will all be honored during the annual Saturday's Senior Day when No. 13 Duke takes on No. 17 Boston College at noon at Koskinen Stadium for its last home game of the regular season. The Eagles enter the contest boasting one of the top scoring offenses in the nation, averaging 12.3 goals per game.
“[The seniors] had a really lasting impact both on the field and off the field in terms of their leadership and experience,” Duke head coach Kerstin Kimel said. “I think that for our kids, Senior Day is always special, and I think more importantly just how important this Boston College game is both in the context of the regular season and our postseason hopes.”
Recently, the seniors have been the ones stepping up for the Blue Devils (8-5, 3-1 in the ACC) as they trudge through the gauntlet of ACC play. Faced with an 11-5 halftime deficit against No. 4 Syracuse, Acton took charge, firing in four second-half goals to register a career-high six tallies on the day. Although Acton’s performance came in a losing effort—the team closed the deficit to two, losing 14-12 Sunday—Duke proved that it could find ways to still put the ball in the net even when two of the team’s top scorers were shut down.
The Blue Devils’ leading goal scorer, Kyra Harney, was virtually absent throughout the loss to the Orange, as she was continuously shadowed by an opposing defender. The decision made by the Syracuse defense came on the heels of a four-goal showing from Harney in an 11-8 victory against No. 15 Virginia Mar. 26. But Acton made sure that Duke would not go down quietly, and the Sudbury, Mass., native hopes that the momentum from her career day will carry through to her last regular-season contest at Koskinen.
Against a high-scoring Eagles squad, the Blue Devils may need a repeat performance from Acton if Harney is swarmed once again by the defense. But it will not be easy, as Boston College (6-5, 1-4) likes to control the ball on offense as it has attempted nearly 100 more shots than its opponents. The Eagles are not efficient, though, scoring on only 45 percent of their attempted shots. Much like the Syracuse offense, Boston College has multiple weapons, with five different players already having registered at least 20 points this season,
The Eagles are led by do-it-all senior midfielder and Inside Lacrosse Preseason First Team All-American selection Sarah Mannelly, and her 22 goals and 18 assists.
The burden will not fall completely on the offense, though, as Duke still leans on its No. 16 scoring defense, despite allowing 14 goals—a season-high—Sunday. With nearly a full week of rest after the match against the Orange, the Blue Devils have done a lot of work in practice to shore up the holes exposed in the loss.
“We played a little timid in the first half, and we came out after halftime with a fire underneath us,” Duryea said. “Just playing with that and not letting that ever waver is something that’s really big for us and I think in the games that we’ve really had success in, we’ve really come out from the very first whistle stopping the other offense or making a good [defensive] stand.”
For Duke’s back line, it all starts with Duryea, who has blossomed into one of the nation’s elite goaltenders in her last year of eligibility. In potentially her last home game, expect the Beverly, Mass., native to be on the top of her game. Supplemented by star defenders Scarrone and Isabelle Montagne, Duryea is also surrounded by one of the more talented defenses in the country.
"I think that this year I’ve kind of come full circle. As a freshman, I was really inexperienced and kind of naïve. I kind of just went in there and played my possession. I didn’t really know the defensive system. I didn’t know what the defenders were supposed to be doing,” Duryea said. “As the years went on, I tried to take on more responsibility as part of the defensive unit, and this year, I think I’ve been able to play my position while also being able to play a role as part of the unit.”
Correction: The original version of this article stated that Saturday's game would begin at 1 p.m. It begins at noon. The Chronicle regrets the error.
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