Dukes look to rebound

Leadership, depth and optimism have replaced a young, fragmented, and inconsistent women’s soccer team. The Dukes finished with a 7-10-3 record and in a tie for fourth place in the Colonial Athletic Association after the Dukes were dealt an early exit by the College of William & Mary in the first round of the conference tournament.

"There’s just something special about women’s soccer this year," coach Dave Lombardo said. "They know that mentality and skill can only go so far without teamwork."

Junior goalkeeper and tri-captain Jessica Hussey said, "No one ever wants to go through that again. We aren’t going to accept any losses this season."

The Dukes’ unity was fully demonstrated, and perhaps formed during their spring training scrimmages, as well as the team’s preseason games in Canada.

"There’s a unity in this group that I didn’t experience out of last year’s team," Lombardo said.

Despite a loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies Sunday, the team is focused on keeping a positive attitude.
"It was a good wake up call," senior defender and tri-captain Katy Swindells said. "And it needed to happen before the season [started].

"We have a close-knit group this year and everyone is really excited [about the season]."

The Dukes’ schedule includes nine of the top 15 teams in the region, as well as 2003 NCAA tournament teams, Penn State University, the University of Virginia and William & Mary.

The upperclassmen have experienced the highest of the highs in winning the conference tournament two years ago, and have felt the lowest of the lows with last season’s inconsistent performance in which they couldn’t win more than two games in a row all year.

Now, according to Lombardo, the Dukes are ready to get back on track, aiming to capture first place within the CAA during the regular season.

"[That allows us to] host the final four of the conference championship, and it gets us a bye into the first round," Lombardo said. "Then we want to win the conference championship because that is an automatic ticket punch to the NCAA tournament."

The Dukes will open their season on the road facing the University of Richmond Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.