Postseason play has arrived for many of Duke’s spring sports, and the Blue Zone is here to preview the matchups. We’ve already looked at women’s and men’s tennis, men’s lacrosse, women’s golf and softball. Next up is Duke women’s lacrosse, which begins NCAA Tournament play Friday:
At the beginning of the 2025 season, the expectations for Duke women’s lacrosse were low. After narrowly making it into the NCAA Tournament a year earlier behind a 10-8 record, the Blue Devils were only projected to finish eighth in the ACC behind perennial lacrosse powerhouses like North Carolina, Boston College and Syracuse.
Despite the predictions for a lackluster performance, Duke played with something to prove all year long, fighting its way to a 12-4 regular season record along with six conference wins. The Blue Devils took down big opponents along the way, beating then-No. 17 Notre Dame, then-No. 19 Brown and Clemson.
At the same time, Duke struggled with consistency. In their final regular-season contest, the Blue Devils got trounced by the top-ranked Tar Heels 18-6 before losing to the Tigers in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals 15-7. The team’s overall record, however, was still good enough to earn them an at-large bid to this year’s NCAA Tournament. Even though Duke is going dancing for the second year in a row, its postseason path is anything but easy.
In the first round, the Blue Devils will face off against James Madison. The Dukes earned a bid after capturing the AAC tournament title with a 14-4 record to boot. James Madison’s regular-season path was somewhat easier than Duke’s, but it did beat then-No. 5 Florida 17-16 earlier in the year. However, the Dukes have struggled against high-powered opponents, losing to every other ranked opponent on their schedule. The Blue Devils, on the other hand, are battle-tested against tough ACC foes, which may give them an edge.
If Duke makes it beyond the first round, it will likely find itself face-to-face with fifth-seeded Virginia. The Cavaliers dispatched the Blue Devils 16-11 in the regular-season but faltered against most other ranked teams in the conference and beyond. Duke could find itself with an opportunity for revenge against a familiar ACC opponent.
For the Blue Devils to be successful in the postseason, it will need to find consistency on both ends of the field. Defensively, Duke is at its best when the team plays as a cohesive, high-pressure unit that constantly communicates. On the attacking side, the Blue Devils must depend upon key performances from stars like sophomore Bella Goodwin, graduate transfer Callie Hem and senior Carly Bernstein. At the same time, Duke is most dangerous with a balanced attack that utilizes fast ball movement and creates multiple scoring threats. If the Blue Devils manage to tap into their potential, they could be a fearsome team capable of making a deep run.
Head coach Kerstin Kimel’s squad will first look to take down James Madison at Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., Friday at 6 p.m. If Duke advances, its second-round game would take place Sunday afternoon.
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| Associate editor
Mackenzie Sheehy is a Trinity junior and associate editor for The Chronicle’s 120th volume.