Trailing No. 13 Vanderbilt a goal with 18 seconds remaining in regulation, the No. 7 Blue Devils rallied back for one final chance to tie the game Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.
But even Carolyn Davis' last-second heroics were not enough, as Duke fell 11-10.
After freshman Emma Hamm managed to wrangle a ground ball from the stalling Commodores (12-4), the Blue Devils (9-6) set a play for their leading scorer to take the last crack at the net.
But Davis' shot sailed wide with two seconds remaining and Duke did not get another shot off as time expired.
"We were trying to break their stall and we had a big possession at the end of the game to tie it," head coach Kerstin Kimel said. "The effort at the end was really great but we needed that kind effort throughout the game to make it a difference for us."
Although the Blue Devils struck early in the first half, Vanderbilt would end the period on top with a 7-5 lead.
After Duke pulled to within one after Davis' fourth-and final-goal of the game, the Commodores squelched any chance of a Blue Devil comeback, scoring the next three goals to give them their largest lead, 10-6.
Duke was able to claw back to within one after finding the back of the net three times, but the team's efforts eventually fell short, as the Blue Devils were held scoreless for the last 4:53 of the contest.
Much of Duke's inability to find any offense stemmed from the impressive performance by Vanderbilt's goalkeeper, Brooke Shinaberry. After stopping three Blue Devil shots in the first period, Shinaberry made nine saves in the second, turning away more than half of Duke's attempts at the net.
"She's a fantastic goalie," Kimel said. "She made a couple of great saves and sometimes we didn't take the best shot available. We didn't have the patience to create the best shot. We made it easy for her."
Although the Blue Devils outshot the Commodores 27-17 and committed three fewer turnovers, Duke could not find an answer for Vanderbilt's stifling defense. The Commodores were unable to slow down Davis or junior Megan Del Monte, who each scored four goals, but no other Duke player recorded more than one goal.
Once again, inconsistency proved to plague the Blue Devils, as the team suffered two scoring droughts that allowed Vanderbilt to build upon its lead.
"It was disappointing obviously," Davis said. "We came out really hard for the first 10 minutes of the game and then had a bit of a lull. Part of that is we need to have a more consistent effort for the whole 60."
With the ACC tournament only three days away, the Blue Devils have little time to dwell on their latest defeat. But Duke hopes the disappointment from the loss will serve as motivation for the postseason.
"It's leaving this feeling on us right now that we never want to feel again," freshman Emma Hamm said. "We'll turn this into something positive by the end of the week."
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