Tag Archives: Kelly Cobb

Catching Up on Duke/UNC Fall Sports

Hey gang, wanted to check in this morning with a quick update on some of the fall sports reaching their climax in the Triangle.

Women’s Soccer

As you all could probably tell, I’ve become pretty obsessed with women’s soccer this year, which I never imagined would be so much fun to watch. In that department, UNC suffered its FIRST EVER LOSS in the ACC tournament last weekend, losing in the quarterfinals to Florida State. That’s a bit of a deceiving word formulation, because UNC has actually lost three times previously on penalty kicks, but still, it’s the first regulation loss for the team that’s won 18 of 21 ACC tournaments. UNC also set a new program low with five losses on the season, and they’ll need an at-large bid to even make the tournament. Strange stuff for one of the best teams in college history.

The Dukies, on the other hand, are in prime form. Ranked third in the country, they’ll face Wake Forest in the ACC semis tomorrow in Cary (I’ll be there at 5:30). Duke won just its second ACC regular season title a week ago, and are vying for their first ACC tournament championship. After that, they’ll attempt to make just the second Final Four in school history, and win the first championship. Their lone ACC loss this year came to Carolina, when they were missing freshman standout Kelly Cobb and conceded the deciding goal with two minutes remaining.

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Duke takes its first Erwin Cup lead! (Sorta)

With last night’s 1-0 win over N.C. State, the Duke women’s soccer team won the regular season ACC championship (only the second in program history, and the first since 1994) and earned four points for the Devils in the Erwin Cup.

Technically, that gives Duke a 6.5-4.5 lead, as you see on the scoreboard to your right.

Unfortunately, what I didn’t realize is that the ACC field hockey season has come to an end, and the UNC women are champions. So…when those points go up, UNC will be back in the lead, 7.5-6.5.

But until William fixes the score…GO DEVILS!

Edit: I’ve fixed the scoreboard. GO HEELS! – William

The game in Raleigh was great last night. State smartly played a very defensive game, double- and triple-teaming Kelly Cobb up front and basically taking her out of the game. Continue reading

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Quick Post – Duke Women’s Soccer and the ACC Title

Just a quick one to note that the Duke women (7-1-1) are going for their first ACC title since 1994 and only their second overall tonight in Raleigh against N.C. State (1-6-2 in conference). These are nearly uncharted waters for Duke, who were led by Laura Weinberg’s two goals to a crucial 2-0 win over Wake Forest last week. For her play, Weinberg was named the ACC Player of the Week. They followed that with a 3-1 win on Senior Day against Maryland. Freshman standout Kelly Cobb was healthy again, and you can see highlights here:

With a win or a draw tonight, Duke will secure the title and the #1 seed going into the ACC Tournament, which they’ve never won. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m covering the team for a feature story, and I’ll be there in Raleigh this evening.

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Tonight: Duke vs. UNC, Women’s Soccer

More Erwin Cup points are on the line tonight as Duke and UNC meet up at Fetzer field. I am incredibly excited for this match for a number of reasons. First, I’ve been working on a feature story about the two teams over the last month or so. I’ve gotten to know the coaches and a few of the players as they moved toward night’s rivalry game. Everyone’s been very nice, but it’s clear how much this means to both sides.

At stake for Duke

The Blue Devils are ranked 4th in the country, and are off to the best start in program history. Robbie Church, the head coach, has been trying to build a team like this since he took over in 2001. He’s been to the Elite 8 twice, but this is a team who could contend for a championship. They’re led by Tara Campbell, a standout junior goalkeeper, and Kelly Cobb, the freshman goal scorer whose status may be questionable tonight after she turned an ankle in practice Monday. All-time, Duke’s record against Carolina is 2-33-1. None of the current players have a victory against their rival. This would plant a flag in the ground and show the country that Duke soccer is a legitimate threat. A loss, on the other hand, would keep Duke in its place, in the shadow of the Tar Heels. It’s impossible to underestimate the importance of this game for the team, the program, and their hopes of an ACC and national championship.

At stake for UNC

Anson Dorrance, the legendary coach, is a master motivator. He has his girls believing that Duke has written them off, that nobody expects them to win, and that the reputation of Carolina soccer is on the line. Far from being a complacent top dog, the Tar Heels are arguably more angry and intense for this match than any other match of the season. Carolina experienced a short struggle earlier this season, but they’ve now won three matches in a row. Strikers Kealia Ohai and Courtney Jones are benefiting from a new system (4-2-3-1) Dorrance learned from the French national team, and their goal production has been revived during the winning streak. Carolina’s defense is vulnerable, but they believe they can score enough goals to keep Duke at bay. And as much as the Blue Devils want this victory for their program, Dorrance and the Tar Heels want to defend the Carolina name.

For both teams, this is the biggest game of the regular season, and possibly the biggest regular season game in years. It happens tonight, at 7pm, at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill. I couldn’t be more excited.

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Kelly Cobb’s goal against Notre Dame (Video)

It’s the second one. Just as crazy as I remember. I do wish the camera was on the near side, but it’s nice to have it anyway, courtesy of GoDuke:

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Duke Women’s Soccer Preview

It’s time to get the ball rolling at Koskinen Stadium for the Duke women’s soccer team, who open the season tonight with a 7pm home match against Army.

Duke is ready to go

This year’s team is looking to build on their Sweet 16 loss to Oklahoma State, and they have an excellent chance to improve their situation as they return all 11 starters from last year’s team. This year’s squad will be led by captains Molly Lester (red shirt senior), Ashley Rape (senior) and Tara Campbell (junior).

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