After stunning national powerhouse Florida in penalty kicks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Nov. 14, a weary Duke team flew across the country to take on Big 12 champion Oklahoma State, hoping to upset yet another conference winner on its home turf. The Blue Devils may have been feeling the wear and tear of the past few weeks, however, and fell to the Cowgirls 2-0 Friday in Stillwater, Okla.
In front of almost 2,000 fans at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex, No. 6 Oklahoma State (20-3-2) extended Duke’s scoreless streak in the Tournament to 218 consecutive minutes. The Cowgirls’ strong defending and opportunistic offense were enough to earn a spot in the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
Despite the loss, the Blue Devils’ late season charge into the Sweet 16 may be a sign of success to come for head coach Robbie Church’s young squad.
“I’m very, very proud of this team,” Church said. “I think we got some valuable experience in this Tournament for next year, and we’ve got to get better.”
Duke (11-8-4) started the game looking dangerous on offense and nearly broke through thanks to the creative runs made by freshman winger Gilda Doria. The Blue Devils took advantage of their extra midfielder in the 4-4-2 formation and stretched the Cowgirl defense, but couldn’t capitalize on their chances in front of Oklahoma State goalkeeper Adrianna Franch.
The Cowgirls regrouped defensively after the early Duke surge and quickly took advantage of their superior size and strength to disrupt the Blue Devils’ rhythm on the ball.
“They were bigger and stronger than us, clearly,” Church said, “and that’s part of being a younger team.”
With Duke’s offense unable to sustain possession, the Cowgirls were able to pressure the Blue Devil back line and had numerous opportunities go begging. Striker Kyndall Treadwell fired a shot off the crossbar just minutes in, and Oklahoma State’s leading scorer Krista Lopez blasted a ball just over the woodwork in the 26th minute.
The Cowgirls finally converted in the 37th minute when sophomore forward Megan Marchesano punished a Duke slip-up and delivered a clinical strike past a helpless Tara Campbell. Marchesano received the ball just outside the penalty area from Lopez with Blue Devil center back Ashley Rape covering, but Rape lost her footing and was unable to block the shot, which Marchesano rocketed into the top right corner of the goal to make it 1-0.
“It seems like every year you have one area that you’re concerned with,” Church said. “We’ve given up a number of goals from the top of the box…. Give [Marchesano] credit too, she hammered it.”
Oklahoma State doubled its advantage in the 62nd minute with another brilliant play that left Campbell unable to make a save. The Cowgirls’ midfielder Kristen Kelley’s cross into the box found the feet of Lopez just six yards out, and the forward made no mistakes with the finish, easily slipping it by the Duke goalkeeper to give Oklahoma State a two-goal advantage with just a half hour left in the game.
The Blue Devils made tactical changes down the stretch to try to mount a comeback, but the Cowgirls’ defense held strong in the waning minutes despite Duke’s best efforts.
Despite the loss, the berth in the Sweet 16 is the Blue Devils’ third in the past four years, and the majority of a youthful Duke lineup will be returning next year with the benefit of a deep Tournament run already under its belt.
“It’s going to be very competitive next year, it’s exciting where we are and the direction [of the program],” Church said.
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