"We're thrilled to be the ACC champions,
especially in a season where we took some hits," said
Dorrance, whose team suffered three losses in a season for
the first time in 15 years, and all three losses came
in conference matches. "At times, we played
tremendously well." <br><br>Duke's record fell to 13-7-1,
plenty good enough for a NCAA tournament bid. The young
Blue Devils have two major wins under their belts as
the only team to defeat Clemson this year, and they
did it twice. <br><br>"I am really proud of our
kids," said Hempen. "A lot of people did not give us a
chance to get to this point, and in the process we
knocked off the number-one seed (Clemson)." <br><br>The
tournament title -- their 12th straight - was special for
the Tar Heels, for no other reason than it was an
opportunity to prove the mighty had not fallen.
<br><br>"Losing three games this year was upsetting," said
Florance, the team's leader in goals with 22. "We heard a
lot of talk, people asking 'Are they done?' We wanted
to pull together and show the country that we're not
done." <br><br>Duke center midfielder Kim Daws would
tend to agree. While the Blue Devils were certainly
more leg-weary than the Tar Heels, Daws found it to be
a very difficult game to play. <br><br>"They play
unbelievably well together," she said. "You don't have to deal
with pressure from just one player. It's two and
sometimes three players. Their speed of play is a
tremendous asset for them." <br><br>Hempen, who knows the
Tar Heels as well as any coach in the country, issued
a warning to the NCAA tournament field.
<br><br>"Women's soccer is becoming very competitive across the
country," he said. "But if anyone thinks Carolina is
getting easier to play, they're wrong. They are doing
everything they can to prove that wrong."