To get back to the College Cup, Duke will have to prove that collegiate soccer still runs through the state of North Carolina.
It has been a historic season for the Blue Devils, and four of their stars just made history of their own.
When they were tested with an unstoppable force dead-set on launching the ball—14 times, to be exact—into the net from close and afar, their greatest strength became their ultimate Achilles heel.
Sunday evening at Koskinen Stadium, a Blue Devil team that earned its top seed via an impenetrable defense met a Clemson team that earned a national championship a year ago via an unwavering offensive attack.
With a first-round bye, the Blue Devils had two possibilities for their first opponent of the ACC tournament: the defending ACC champion or the defending national champion.
Among the lively atmosphere Thursday were two high-energy teams displaying a cinematic performance on the field, both sides proving they were worthy of a ticket to the conference championship game.
Even a Blue Devil team that seemed to have been possessed by a higher power for two hours could not overcome the inevitability of North Carolina women’s soccer.
The ACC announced its end-of-season awards Wednesday, and for the second year in a row, Blue Devils have won the highest awards from the nation’s best conference.
By the end of Sunday's match in Charlottesville, Va., the scoreboard showed a 2-1 victory in the Blue Devils’ favor.
As the sun set over Thompson Field at Virginia Tech’s similarly gothic campus in Blacksburg, Va., Friday evening, the third-ranked Blue Devils thoroughly and comprehensively outclassed the hapless Hokies 1-0 to close the lid on their undefeated regular season.
No. 11 Duke journeyed to South Bend, Ind., for its last regular season contest. Competing with the fourth-ranked Fighting Irish on the hosting team’s Senior Night, the fight of both teams unequivocally matched the other’s energy.
“Of course we’re lucky to be at Duke, [but] Koskinen over [my] four years has come to mean so much to me,” said senior goalie Ruthie Jones. “And it's been really special. We've had a lot of, really, any kind of emotion on this field, and it means so much that we can sort of end it in such a positive way.”
In a year that has been full of storylines for the Blue Devils—a top-two ranking to begin the season, defeating the team they fell to at the conference tournament last fall, a tough 5-1 loss to Florida State—another came along Thursday night: a tie.
The Blue Devil supporters grew louder as the seconds ticked away, expecting to celebrate the single euphoric goal that would pull off Duke’s great escape. But it never came.
Tuesday evening’s thrashing of the Colonials at a frigid Koskinen Stadium in many ways continued a season narrative that has seen many of the same trends that Washington’s crossing resembled: victory, overcoming the odds and challenging the status quo.
Performing under pressure is not about being perfect, it’s about prevailing, and Duke, despite some second-half discombobulation, was able to fall back on a battle-tested system and do just that.
In many ways, Duke was a hummingbird in its 2-0 win against Notre Dame Friday evening at Koskinen Stadium: It was fast, it was frantic and it was fascinating. Instead of nectar in a feeder, however, the sweet substance the Blue Devils tasted was revenge.
With Duke and Florida State tied for first place in the ACC, the Seminoles took over as the sole leader after a 5-1 victory in Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday evening, ending the Blue Devils’ co-reign of the conference and undefeated status on the road this season.
In a high-stakes conference tilt at Koskinen Stadium, No. 7 Duke displayed a patient approach before receiving a second-half goal from junior defender Olivia Migli to down No. 13 Pittsburgh.
Friday's scoreless draw was tight and tense, but it ultimately lent favor to the Blue Devils, who were able to maintain their spot at the top of the ACC Coastal Division.
