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Amber Brooks & UNC Will Try to Stay in the ACC Title Race on Thursday

(6) North Carolina vs (9) Boston College – 8:00 PM

While both North Carolina and Boston College currently reside in the RPI Top 10, the time is now for three points in the ACC, as both try to keep pace with leaders Maryland and Florida State in the league title race. The Eagles were idle in the league last weekend but did suffer a non-conference defeat to WCC side Pepperdine on Saturday that could end up hurting their chances of grabbing a high national seed come November. After a blazing stretch of nine games unbeaten to open up the season, BC has now lost two of three, with their volatile offense having been shut down in both of their defeats so far. Still, the visitors showed what they can do in a short period of time when they came back at the death to shock Pepperdine for their second win in the league. The Eagles play UNC, Duke, and Maryland in an eight day span, a stretch that will almost assuredly define their league season. Carolina’s hopes for an ACC title are almost definitely hanging by a threat entering into Thursday night’s contest, and though the run-in is not as hard as it could be, the club still knows it needs to just about run the table if they’re to stand a chance of lifting more ACC silverware. There was little wrong with the Tar Heels this past Sunday when they smoked Miami (FL) at home, 6-1. While seeing the Carolina offense shift into another gear might be a frightening proposition for some, the best could be yet to come. The U.S. U17′s flameout in Azerbaijan means that Summer Green will make an early return to the club, though it’s unsure as to whether she’ll see extensive minutes at first. Given Green’s earlier form for the club though, it’s quite possible she’ll have a major effect on the course of her club’s season down the stretch. That could include on Thursday, as UNC tries to win their third league game in four tries while in the pursuit of three more valuable points.

(21) Virginia Tech vs (13) Duke – 7:00 PM

2-2-1 in the league isn’t quite what Duke had in mind before the season as far as their ACC title defense is concerned. On the shortlist as a national title favorite before the season, the Blue Devils instead look like a team that may instead finish in mid-table in the league they won so convincingly last year. Halfway through their league season, the Blue Devils haven’t beaten any of the league’s top teams and sit mired in the middle of the pack after giving up a late winner to Virginia last Sunday. With games against Virginia Tech and Boston College this weekend, it’s clearly do or die for their title hopes. Duke will hope to arrest a disturbing defensive trend, as they’ve only kept one clean sheet in seven games, with that coming against a lowly Clemson side last week. Additionally, the Blue Devils are still sweating on the health of one of last year’s offensive talisman’s, Kelly Cobb, who’s struggled to stay on the pitch since her return from international duty. They’ll need all the weapons they can muster with a tricky trip to Blacksburg on the agenda. The Hokies picked up a huge win in the league last Sunday, topping league leaders Maryland to halt a two game losing streak and give themselves ammo for a fresh push back up the league table. VT is also on the fringe for a national seed and will be angling for every big win they can get to try and climb further up the RPI rankings. The Hokie offense hasn’t exactly been in tip-top form early in league play, but the defense did buckle down long enough last game to stifle Maryland for the upset. VT has health problems of their own to worry about, with club talisman Kelly Conheeney still out with concussion symptoms. While her status remains up in the air, getting her back would be a big boost for the home side this weekend. With a somewhat generous run-in, the Hokies will be looking for another upset on Thursday in a bid to build more momentum for a big finish and perhaps that coveted national seed that would make their NCAA Tournament life just a little bit easier.

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