A statement victory for the Blue Devils in their last regular-season contest would go a long way toward securing one of the top seeds for the NCAA tournament.
The win would be even sweeter considering the opponent and the circumstances.
After dropping a 10-9 overtime heartbreaker to then-No. 10 Notre Dame April 16th, No. 15 Duke makes the short trip to Chapel Hill to play No. 3 North Carolina in the annual battle for Tobacco Road bragging rights Saturday at 2 p.m. at Fetzer Field. The Tar Heels have already claimed the ACC regular season title and come into the contest riding a nine-game winning streak—including a 12-11 win at then-No. 5 Syracuse last weekend—with the No. 8 scoring offense in the country.
After limiting the then third-ranked Fighting Irish scoring offense to only 10 goals, Duke will have its hands full once again Saturday, needing a strong performance from its back line and momentum-changing saves between the pipes.
That formula has worked for most of the season. Senior goalkeeper Kelsey Duryea currently ranks second in the nation in save percentage, and with captains Izzy Montagne and Claire Scarrone leading the back line, Duke ranks 21st in the nation in scoring defense, surrendering just 7.9 goals per game.
“I think we’ve learned a lot and grown a lot as a unit over time with games against Louisville, Virginia [and] obviously a tough loss against Notre Dame,” Scarrone said. “I think that we have been able to collaborate and work together to work through those tough situations.”
But it certainly will not be easy to halt North Carolina’s offense, which has scored more than 10 goals eight times during the team's streak, and talled nine the one time it failed to reach double digits. The Tar Heels (12-2, 6-0) have four players with at least 40 points this season—Molly Hendrick, Sammy Jo Tracy, Aly Messinger and Marie McCool—and both Hendrick and McCool have also scored at least 30 goals. Midfielder Ela Hazar does not rank far behind North Carolina’s fearsome foursome on offense after collecting six points in the win against Syracuse, which earned the sophomore ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
"You have to play every attacker honestly and playing more of a team defense is really important,” Duryea said. “[It's about] not taking anyone for granted and knowing that one of our defenders out there is just as capable as their attackers. Just having confidence in one another is really important.”
Throughout the season, Duke (9-6, 4-2) has had trouble maintaining a strong offensive attack for the full 60 minutes. The Blue Devils' scoring often comes in short bursts, like it did against Notre Dame, when Duke found the back of the net six times before halftime. But the offense cooled off after intermission, managing only three second-half tallies as the Fighting Irish clawed back into the game. Against such a stout Tar Heel attack that puts up points in bunches, Duke cannot afford another drought against North Carolina.
Duryea, Scarrone and the rest of the senior class will be playing their last regular-season game Saturday, and will have the chance to spoil the Tar Heels' Senior Day. More importantly, though, a road win in Chapel Hill would give the Blue Devils momentum and confidence heading into the postseason in addition to bragging rights, after North Carolina beat Duke in Durham last season to claim the ACC regular-season title.
“I think that the rivalry is something that is so fun to be a part of, and especially with this, it doesn’t matter how we match up on paper, but with extra heart and just the excitement of the game I think that [we can win],” Duryea said. “ [A victory] could put us out on a really good note heading into the ACC [tournament] knowing that we’re capable of beating one of the top-five teams in the country.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.