Tomko: Duke Thrilled To Be Home For NCAA Tournament Opener

DURHAM, N.C. ? The Duke women's soccer team (12-5-3) ended practice on Wednesday evening shooting penalty kicks as they prepare to host their opening round matchup against Radford University in the NCAA Tournament Friday at 5:00 p.m.

Senior defender Christie McDonald took her turn at the penalty kick line during practice striking the ball and placing it in the left side of the net away from the goalkeeper.

McDonald is not in the first group of five for penalty shots in case of a tie game, but she is in the second five and once you enter the NCAA Tournament any player can end up making the difference.

Last year's opening round game of the NCAA's came down to penalty kicks against South Carolina, with the Blue Devils winning 4-1, and if things keep playing out the way they have during the final few games, penalty kicks may just play a big role in the first round game.

The three seeded Blue Devils have lost their last two matches, both by the score of 1-0. A year ago they did the exact same thing, losing their last regular season game and their first round game in the ACC Tournament before rolling off three wins in the NCAA Tournament.

“It is actually exactly like last year,” McDonald said. “We lost the last game of the regular season to Clemson, and then we lost to Wake Forest in the ACC's which we repeated that, not on purpose, but if something works for you [keep doing it].”

Big South Champion Radford will be traveling to take on a Duke team that has had success all season at home, going 8-1-1 on the year at Koskinen Stadium.

“It's huge for all of us,” head coach Robbie Church said. “It has always been a goal of ours to obviously go to the NCAA Tournament every year, but to be able to host [for the] first time since we've been here the last eight seasons... Everybody is excited. I think we are hungry... I think you are going to see a very aggressive and hungry team that shows up Friday afternoon.”

The team gathered together on Monday night in McDonald's apartment to watch the selection show and waited patiently to see where Duke would end up. Wake Forest had already received their hosting bid and North Carolina was all but guaranteed a bid when Duke was chosen as a host site.

“We were hoping they were going to put three in such a close area but we weren't sure,” McDonald said. “When we saw our name it kind of just erupted. We all watched it at mine, Kelly and Sheila's apartment. Everyone just went crazy.”

“Obviously getting a home bid for us was a big boost for us,” McDonald added. “The NCAA is always the most fun time of the year. We are all pretty excited to be home.”

An emotional boost is exactly what this team needed. The Blue Devils finished the season playing five of their last six regular season games away from Koskinen Stadium, going 2-2-2 down the stretch.

“We were a really tired team last week,” Church said. “We took off a couple days... They have worked hard. We have had good practices, good preparation and good film work today so it has been fantastic.”

The Blue Devils have been held scoreless each of the last three matches. Their last goal came all the way back on Oct. 26 in a 6-0 drubbing of Clemson. Though the offense has been down, Church is optimistic it will be back on track for the tournament.

“I think it is real close,” he said. “I think it is very close. We will do a little bit of walkthrough stuff with it tomorrow. I think we have got our legs back. When you get your legs back you think quicker too. I think we have moved sharper off the ball. We have hit balls better. I think the rest has really done a great job for us.”

Radford enters play with a 14-1-6 overall record and a mark of 4-1-4 in the Big South Conference. The Highlanders are coming off a conference-winning performance, defeating top-ranked Coastal Carolina, 2-1, in the Big South Conference championship contest.

Church noted that Radford is good at jumping on opponents early and then preventing teams from coming back.

“They are going to be a very competitive team,” he said. “They are going to be a team that knows how to win. They have had their best season ever.”