Behind the explosive scoring duo of Katie Chrest and Kristen Waagbo, the No. 4 Blue Devils (5-0) overpowered a pair of unranked opponents, defeating Richmond 18-7 and William & Mary 17-8 in weekend action.
Duke needed a strong overall effort before entering the heart of its schedule—and the attack answered the call. With a flurry of goals, the Blue Devils controlled the tempo of both games and prevented their feisty opposition from clawing back.
“I think this weekend was a big weekend for us,” head coach Kerstin Kimel said. “Both of these teams presented tough challenges for us, both from a mental and physical standpoint, and I thought we responded really well.”
Chrest, a junior, served as the catalyst for much of Duke’s offensive success, scoring key goals early in both games to get the Blue Devils’ offense going in the right direction. Against William & Mary (0-2) Friday, Chrest tied the school’s single-game scoring record with a six-goal outburst, then followed it up Sunday with a three-goal performance against Richmond (0-2). In addition, Chrest tallied three assists and forced two turnovers over the weekend.
“She’s unbelievable,” freshman Rachel Sanford said. “She’s probably the best player I’ve ever seen play. Her consistency really helps the team in every form. You’ll watch her do an unbelievable play and everybody gains energy off of that.”
Although Chrest’s numbers topped the stat sheet, Waagbo’s play nearly matched her teammate’s efforts. The sophomore scored five goals against William & Mary and added another three against Richmond. Combined, the two players accounted for nearly 50 percent of Duke’s goals.
“I think that the players that we have attacking and scoring in the system are just awesome,” Chrest said. “It’s been really helpful.”
Duke’s sheer number of offensive weapons was instrumental in Sunday’s win over Richmond, as the Spiders’ defense was ultimately overpowered by the Blue Devils’ attack. In addition to Chrest and Waagbo, Sanford and sophomore Leigh Jester each recorded hat tricks and three other Blue Devils netted two goals apiece. Duke’s success ultimately rested on its ability to respond quickly and decisively to every Richmond score, preventing the Spiders from garnering any momentum.
“Richmond is going to come out and try to do whatever they can to us,” Sanford said. “Every part of our team really worked together and we really tried to shove it back down their throats.”
In Friday’s victory over William & Mary, the Blue Devils jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and never looked back, relying on their defense to force 11 turnovers to keep the Tribe at bay. In addition to Chrest’s record-tying performance, freshman Caroline Cryer scored a career-high four goals in the effort.
“Our goal was to come out of this weekend feeling like we had a lot of really good things to build on, and I think we do,” Kimel said. “We’ll look to get better from here.”
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