No. 4 Duke scored the first three goals of the game and dared top-ranked Northwestern, the four-time defending national champion, to come back from its largest deficit of the season.
But the Wildcats were game, closing the half up 6-5 and embarking on a 12-3 run to erase Duke's early lead and remain undefeated with a 13-7 win Friday at Lakeside Field.
Senior Carolyn Davis paced the Blue Devils (9-3) with three goals, including the second goal of the game, which put the Wildcats (11-0) in their biggest hole fo the season. Davis posted another one and Duke held Northwestern scoreless for seven more minutes, but the Wildcats scored six in a row and never looked back.
"The big thing that sticks out to me is that we didn't take advantage of our opportunities when we had them in the second half, and we got away from our game plan a little bit," head coach Kerstin Kimel said.
Northwestern took its first lead at 4-3 with 6:15 left in the first half, and the teams traded goals, leading to a 6-6 tie early in the second half.
But then the Wildcats reeled off six straight scores to break the deadlock and maintain their winning streak in Evanston, Ill., which dates back to 2006. Northwestern has now won four straight games against Duke.
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