The Blue Devils are hoping defense wins championships-and a little bit of offense wouldn't hurt, either.
No. 9 Duke's defense stifled opponents this weekend and the offense continued to prosper, as the Blue Devils defeated Fordham 2-0 Friday and Georgia 3-0 Sunday at the Duke Classic in Koskinen Stadium.
"As a team, we came out great with great defensive pressure in the first half," senior Lorainne Quinn said. "We didn't let them play out of anything. We really kept them locked in and took advantage of that as a team."
And Quinn led the charge for Duke (8-1), registering a hat trick Sunday afternoon. She was named the tournament Offensive MVP after registering three goals in the first half against Georgia.
Despite the offensive success, it was Duke's back line that served as the model of consistency, leading the team to victory offensively as well as defensively.
The Blue Devils were strong defensively all weekend, as senior goalkeeper Cassidy Powers was able to pick up two more shutouts. The back line was particularly effective for Duke, as the unit, led by freshman Ashley Rape, managed to shut down Fordham (3-3-1) and Georgia (2-6) with strong play.
"Ashley is a physical presence," head coach Robbie Church said. "She's our best ball winner in the air. She's aggressive, she steps to the ball, she wins the ball and she puts balls down in their end. She's an outstanding player."
Rape's performance was representative of the entire back line, as the Blue Devils were able to constantly win the ball one-on-one and in the air. The strength of the back line led to long stretches of possession for Duke, including a string of almost nine minutes at the end of the first half against Georgia, during which Quinn scored her third goal of the match.
As important as the defensive aspect of the line was its offensive contribution throughout the weekend. Part of this success came from the tactical matchups set up by Church, as he moved the outside backs into the attack.
"[Georgia] started playing one forward and then moved in and played two forwards, so we knew we would be open outside," Church said. "Whenever we play a team that plays two up front or one up front, that's always an option-we always look centrally but then we look wide."
The approach worked early in the game Sunday for the Blue Devils, as senior Christie McDonald jumped into the play from the left back position, sending a cross inside to Quinn for the first goal of the match. In the second half, McDonald carried the ball through traffic and was able to get in behind the Bulldogs' back line before her shot was stopped by Georgia's Michelle Betos.
"Christie had some energy out there," Church said. "She was just flying down the left flank getting some crosses and serves in there. It worked well. We had the space and we had the confidence, and we were playing at another level today."
Confidence will be key as Duke looks ahead to the ACC season, which begins Thursday against Boston College. Church and his players stressed that the team is playing with assurance and is eager to prove itself after being ranked sixth in the conference's preseason poll.
"We are going to want to win it," McDonald said. "That's always a goal for us, and I think it's a practical one."
"Every ACC game is a dogfight," Church said. "You have to play 90 minutes. If you don't, you're going to get beat, but that's the great thing about this conference. I think we're a very confident team right now, and we're committed to play both sides of the ball. Committed to attack, committed to defend. We're a handful to handle."
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