Game 4
No. 5 Duke vs. No. 4 Northwestern
Saturday, Feb. 22 l 12:05 p.m.
Durham, N.C. l Koskinen Stadium
ESPN3 l Live Stats l Twitter
DURHAM, N.C. – After topping William & Mary last week in their first road trip of 2014, the fifth-ranked Blue Devils (3-0) return home to host No. 4 Northwestern Saturday, Feb. 22 at 12:05 p.m. on ESPN3.
Northwestern Series History
Saturday's matchup marks the 14th all-time meeting between Duke and Northwestern with the Wildcats leading the series, 11-2 ... The Blue Devils are 2-3 all-time when facing Northwestern at home in Koskinen Stadium ... The Wildcats have won 10 consecutive games against Duke dating back to 2006.
Last Time We Met
Duke was held to its lowest scoring output of the season in a 12-4 loss to the Wildcats Apr. 12, 2013 at a cold and windy Lakeside Field in Evanston ... The two squads went a combined 20-of-24 on clear attempts despite wet conditions and temperatures in the mid-30s ... Northwestern received five goals from Erin Fitzgerald and had nine different players record a point while the Wildcats' defense limited the Blue Devils to just four second-half scores on 14 shots ... Erin Tenneson, Maddy Acton, Taylor Trimble and 2013 graduate Makenzie Hommel scored one goal each for Duke in the loss.
Scouting the Wildcats
Under the direction of 13th-year head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, Northwestern enters the weekend with a 1-0 ledger after edging Virginia, 13-12, in the season opener Feb. 9 ... The Wildcats will face their second top-10 opponent to start the season when they visit No. 5 Duke Saturday ... The squad returns goalkeeper Bridget Bianco, a third team IWLCA All-America selection last season, as well as attacker Alyssa Leonard, the team's second-leading scorer in 2013 ... On defense, Northwestern has had to replace Gabriella Flibotte, a second team All-American and NCAA All-Tournament team member last spring.
Scouting the Blue Devils
Fifth-ranked Duke (3-0, 0-0 ACC) topped William & Mary 11-8 in Williamsburg last Sunday after the Feb. 14 contest at Richmond was postponed due to inclement weather ... The Blue Devils moved up one spot to No. 5 in the Feb. 10 IWLCA poll, marking the program's highest ranking since March of 2012 ... Junior attacker Kerrin Maurer has paced the offense through the first three contests, notching 13 goals and five assists ... Sophomore Kelci Smesko has tallied eight points while junior Brigid Smith and senior Sydney Peterson have each added seven ... Returning All-American defender Taylor Virden leads the way in draw controls (11), ground balls (8) and caused turnovers (5) ... Sophomore goalkeeper Kelsey Duryea, a second team All-America selection last spring, owns a 7.56 goals against average and a .512 save percentage in the net ... Duke's balanced attack is outscoring opponents by a 50-23 margin to start the season.
Last Time Out
The Blue Devils picked up their first win of the season Sunday at William & Mary, topping the Tribe by an 11-8 score ... Leading 7-5 at halftime, Duke held William & Mary scoreless for nearly 20 minutes in the second half to secure the victory ... Head coach Kerstin Kimel's squad featured a balanced attack on the day, with seven different players registering goals ... Junior midfielder Taylor Trimble led the way with three points (2g, 1a) ... Duke limited the Tribe to 2-of-7 on free position attempts with sophomore Kelsey Duryea posting seven saves between the pipes.
Scheduling the Best
Duke's 2014 slate currently features eight teams ranked in the top 20 of the latest IWLCA Coaches Poll ... The Blue Devils begin a tough stretch this weekend, hosting No. 4 Northwestern Saturday before welcoming No. 3 Maryland in one week.
Team |
Current Rank |
Gameday Rank |
North Carolina |
1 |
- |
Syracuse |
2 |
- |
Maryland |
3 |
- |
Northwestern |
4 |
4 |
Virginia |
9 |
- |
Georgetown |
10 |
- |
Boston College |
13 |
- |
Notre Dame |
15 |
- |
Against Ranked Opponents
Since the 2008 season, Duke is 41-37 against ranked teams ... The Blue Devils have lost just six times to teams outside the top-10 in the past five years ... The Blue Devils went 5-5 against ranked opponents in 2013 and will face their first ranked foe Saturday in No. 4 Northwestern.
Balanced Attack
Fifteen different Blue Devils have scored a goal and 11 players have notched at least one assist through three games this season ... Ten Blue Devils have recorded multiple-goal games, led by junior Kerrin Maurer, who owns two hat tricks ... In a 25-4 season-opening victory over Elon Feb. 7, 14 different Duke players found the back of the net with Maurer tallying a career-high six markers.
Maurer, Virden Moving Up Career Lists
Senior defender Taylor Virden and junior attacker Kerrin Maurer provide veteran experience at both ends of the field ... Maurer paces the Blue Devils in points, goals and assists this season and currently ranks eighth all-time career assists (64) and 17th in program history in career points (137) ... Maurer reached the 100-point barrier and topped the 50-assist milestone as a sophomore last season ... Virden leads the team in draw controls, ground balls and caused turnovers through three games in 2014 and ranks sixth all-time in career draw controls with 133 ... She is also approaching the 100-ground ball mark for her career with 89 over four seasons.
In the Month of February
Duke has played 50 games all-time in the second month of the year, playing to a 44-6 record … The Blue Devils last lost a February contest in 2013 against Maryland in College Park.
Home Sweet Home
The Blue Devils have been tough to beat at Koskinen Stadium in recent years ... From 2007-13, the program notched a 54-11 record when playing at home, including 10-0 marks in 2007 and 2011 ... Duke is 2-0 at home this spring with wins over Elon (Feb. 7) and Louisville (Feb. 9).
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