Duke Set for Tobacco Road Matchup in Chapel Hill

9/23/2009 3:45:00 PM | Women's Soccer

By: Duke Sports Information

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DURHAM, N.C. -- The Blue Devil women's soccer team (4-3-2) will travel to top-ranked North Carolina on Thursday, September 24, for their ACC opener. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, N.C. Admission will be free for all fans.

This is the beginning of a four game stretch of matches against ranked opponents for Duke, with the first pair of games on the road and the second pair at home.

Duke will continue ACC play with its next match, Thursday October 1, at seventh-ranked Wake Forest.

A Look at the Opponent
North Carolina enters Thursday's match with a 7-0-1 record. The Tar Heels are led by Jessica McDonald with four goals and two assists. As a team, UNC has only allowed two goals, both coming in the opening match against UCLA. This will mark UNC's ACC opener as well.

The Series
This will be the 35th installment of the series, with the series record currently standing at 2-31-1 in favor of UNC. The last victory was a 2-1 triumph at North Carolina on October 9, 2005. The last time the two teams tangled, North Carolina came away with a 3-0 win on October 2, 2008.

Carlyle Cup
Thursday's contest will be a part of the Carlyle Cup, which is a year-long competition between Duke and North Carolina. The winner will receive one point. So far in 2008-09, UNC leads 1-0 with a win in men's soccer over the weekend. The Carlyle Cup is sponsored by Carlyle & Co., which is based out of Greensboro, N.C.

In The Rankings
North Carolina is ranked No. 1 in the NSCAA poll, while being No. 2 in the Soccer America and SoccerTimes.com listings. The Blue Devils are unranked after being preseason ranked in the top 25.

Shooting Spree
Through nine games on the season, Duke has registered a total of 203 shots. The 203 shots through nine contests are the second-most in school history. In 1989, the Blue Devils attempted 227 shots in the opening nine matches. So far this year, Duke has attempted 30 or more shots in three of the nine matches.

On The Road
Duke is 0-1-0 on the road, with the loss coming at the hands of then 14th ranked Florida. The Blue Devils are 4-0-2 this season at home, and 19-5-2 over the past three years at Koskinen Stadium. Duke has scored 18 goals and allowed three goals at home this year.

In The ACC Stats
Duke senior Elisabeth Redmond is tied for the lead in the ACC in assists per game with a 0.75 average with six in eight contests. Sophomore Cody Newman also ranks tied for ninth with four assists. Redmond is also second in shots and shots per game with 43 and 5.38 averaged respectively. Senior KayAnne Gummersall is sixth in shots (34) and seventh in shots per game with a 3.78 average. Gummersall and sophomore Chelsea Canepa are tied for 10th in the ACC with five goals apiece. Freshman Tara Campbell is third in saves (28). Her 1.12 goals-against average is 10th.

Tough Defense
Duke has only allowed three goals in the first half this season and only nine total goals in nine matches. The defense has allowed 41 total shots at home so far this season. Sophomore Emily Nahas and freshman Tara Campbell have each seen time in the net, while the combination of Gretchen Miller, Nicole Lipp, Maddy Haller, Erin Koballa, Molly Mack, and Libby Jandl have all played well in back.

Starting Freshmen
So far this season, Duke has started four freshmen - Campbell, Lipp, Haller, and Koballa -- this season. Campbell, a goalkeeper from Cincinnati, Ohio, has started seven of the eight matches and currently holds a 1.12 goals against average in addition to an assist. Lipp, a defender hailing from Lake Forest, Ill., currently has played the second most minutes on the team while anchoring the center of the back line. Haller, a defender from South Salem, N.Y., has picked up two assists and has played in all nine matches, starting seven while playing outside back. Koballa, a defender from Wrightsville Beach, N.C., has started all nine matches at outside back and currently is tied for fourth on the team in minutes played.

Scoring Blue Devils
Of the 17 goals that Duke has netted through seven matches, 13 of those have come during the first half of play. The duo of seniors KayAnne Gummersall and Elisabeth Redmond continue their torrid offensive play with five goals, two assists and two goals, six assists, respectively. Gummersall and sophomore Chelsea Canepa currently lead the team with five goals apiece, while Redmond leads the squad with her six assists, followed by sophomore Cody Newman with four. Canepa had a streak of three consecutive contests with at least one goal, scoring against Florida, Alabama A&M, and LSU.

Spread The Wealth
Eight Blue Devils have scored so far, six of whom have multiple goals, while 12 student-athletes have posted one or more assists.

Injury Update
Duke will be without the services of senior Sara Murphy, freshman Callie Simpkins, freshman Kim DeCesare, junior Molly Lester and sophomore Ashley Rape for the 2009 season due to injuries. Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Nahas will miss the next 2-3 weeks after suffering an injury in practice last week.

The Record Book
Senior KayAnne Gummersall owns 28 career goals and is currently tied for fourth place. Her 65 points has moved her into ninth place on Duke's all-time list and is only three away from eighth. Senior Elisabeth Redmond owns 29 career assists to rank second on the Blue Devil charts and is 13 away from Andi Melde's record of 42. Her 25 goals ranks seventh on Duke's list. Redmond owns 79 career points, which is fourth all-time for the Blue Devils. With 238 shots in four years, Redmond ranks second at Duke.

The Duke/Nike Classic
Three Blue Devils were awarded All-Tournament Team honors this past weekend at the Duke/Nike Classic: Campbell, Redmond, and Newman.

The Head Coach
Robbie Church is in his ninth season with the Blue Devils and owns an overall record of 98-63-21 mark at Duke. His overall record as a head coach for men and women is 281-177-35 in 24 years, while his overall record as a women's head coach is 185-112-32 in 16 years.

The Captains
Blue Devil seniors KayAnne Gummersall, Elisabeth Redmond, Jane Alukonis and Sara Murphy are captains for the 2009 campaign.

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