No. 10 Duke traveled to Delaware over the weekend, rounding out its non-conference schedule with two decisive wins.
Led by junior Marian Dickinson, the Blue Devils (11-6) defeated Delaware 5-3 Saturday and Penn 5-2 Sunday to give themselves their fourth consecutive victory.
Dickinson, the Blue Devils' top scorer, notched her first hat trick of the season and the third of her career in Saturday's win over the Blue Hens (9-7) in Newark, Del.
"She is in a different role this year as a midfielder, so she doesn't get as many opportunities to score," head coach Beth Bozman said, "But she has fulfilled her role very well."
Dickinson's first score of the weekend came unassisted at the 26-minute mark, only four minutes after freshman Susan Ferger found the back of the net. Thirty-four minutes into the game, the Blue Devils had amassed a 3-0 lead over Delaware and appeared to have built a commanding lead.
The Blue Hens struck back, however, rattling off three consecutive goals in less than 10 minutes.
Dickinson came through for Duke yet again, completing her hat trick and closing the door on Delaware with two straight goals off passes from sophomore Lauren Miller and junior Laura Suchoski.
The Blue Devils carried that offensive momentum through to Sunday's contest against the Quakers (7-8), when five different players netted goals.
"We capitalized on opportunities," Dickinson said. "We had a lot of different people score today because of good passing through the midfield and forwards."
Sophomore Amie Survilla drew first blood against Penn with a goal just seven minutes into the contest, while Suchoski gave the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead going into the half.
Over that same frame, senior goalie Caitlin Williams notched three key saves to help protect Duke's lead.
After the break, Miller widened the gap between Duke and the Quakers to three, but Penn answered back with a goal on a penalty shot to come back within two.
That was as close as Penn would get, however, as Duke again turned to Dickinson, who connected for her fourth goal of the weekend. Junior Ashley Pultorak added a fifth tally to put the game out of reach.
With one regular-season game left on the schedule, Bozman said she was proud of her team's performance.
"Our goal after the initial part of the season was to take control of our destiny," Bozman said. "It is in our hands, and these wins will really help our chances in the postseason."
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