The postseason has not historically been kind to the Blue Devils’ soccer programs.
The men’s team has not won a conference championship since 2006. Having struggled to make deep playoff runs, Duke recently returned to the NCAA tournament in 2021 for the first time in four years. The Blue Devils’ last appearance in the NCAA tournament round of 16 was in 2018, but their last quarterfinal was in 2006. Duke sought to change that narrative last season by reaching the ACC championship final, but ultimately fell to Notre Dame and later to Saint Louis in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
The women’s team has never won a conference championship, and it has not played in an ACC championship final since a 2017 loss to rival North Carolina. Compared to the men’s side, however, the women have historically had consistently deeper postseason runs. The Blue Devils reached eight quarterfinals and three College Cup appearances in the past 11 years, with two notable runners-up seasons in 2011 and 2015. The most recent NCAA tournament run saw No. 1-seed Duke suffer a 2-1 loss at the hands of Santa Clara in the quarterfinals.
The glamor of an ACC Championship trophy has not been attained since 2006, and the illustrious NCAA national championship has not been conquered for either side since the legendary 1986 men’s squad, of which head coach John Kerr was a part.
So with Duke not able to demonstrate the same level of success in the postseason as it has in the regular season, what are the keys for each team to finally reach the peak of the mountain in 2022?
Men’s soccer postseason preview
After defeating Virginia Tech 1-0 and completing their first undefeated season since 1980, No. 3 Duke was crowned ACC regular season champion and earned the No. 1 seed for the ACC tournament as well as a first-round bye and home field advantage. The Blue Devils face off against 2021 NCAA champion Clemson Sunday in a rematch of last year’s ACC semifinal, where Duke handed Clemson its last loss of the season.
The key: Eliot Hamill
Scarsdale, N.Y., native and graduate student goalkeeper Eliot Hamill extended his shutout streak to six games following the victory against the Hokies, and recorded his 11th clean sheet of the season. Hamill has been the difference between a great season and an undefeated season for the Blue Devils, and if he remains as consistent as he has been in the regular season, he will also be the difference maker for Duke to win postseason titles.
With leading scorer Shakur Mohammed up top and the support pairing of Nick Pariano and Peter Stroud, Duke has more than enough firepower to shut down a Clemson team that is on a three-game win streak. If all else fails, however, having Hamill in between the goal posts gives the Blue Devils another lifeline.
Had it not been for the pandemic, Hamill may very well have been playing in the Ivy League, but his fateful return to Duke has given the Blue Devils their best chance in years at fighting for postseason glory.
Women’s soccer postseason preview
Despite the heartbreaking loss in the ACC championship semifinal to No. 1-seed North Carolina on penalty kicks, No. 5-seed Duke displayed incredible adaptation and resilience when going down to 10 players on the pitch. While the Blue Devils will likely miss out on consecutive No. 1 seeds for the NCAA tournament, it is likely they will receive a No. 2 or No. 3 seeding, still putting them in a great position to achieve their goals of fighting for a national championship this year.
The keys: Michelle Cooper and Kat Rader
What more can be said about the Blue Devil offense when it has the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and the ACC Freshman of the Year on the same team? Michelle Cooper and Kat Rader have been a powerful duo up top, and they will have to carry the momentum of amazing personal regular seasons into the NCAA tournament.
The brutal penalty shootout loss to North Carolina in the ACC championship semifinals, above all, showcased the resilience and mentality of a Duke team that is hungry for a title. Despite some overtime injuries, Cooper stepped up to take a crucial fifth penalty shot during the penalty shootout. She slotted the penalty home, and a diving save by keeper Ruthie Jones in the following shot by the Tar Heels kept the game alive for the Blue Devils.
Duke will need more discipline to be able to keep level against higher seeded opponents, but the mentality and skills of Cooper and Rader might just be enough to push the Blue Devils all the way to the top.
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