Coming off a difficult win Wednesday over No. 13 Vanderbilt (4-3), No. 5 Duke carried its momentum into Saturday’s game against No. 10 Georgetown, defeating the Hoyas 13-5 in Washington, D.C.
“They really worked our defense, but our girls did a very good job of earning goals,” head coach Kerstin Kimel said. “Georgetown is typically a very strong team, and the win was very great for us.”
This marks the Blue Devils’ third consecutive victory against a ranked opponent—the first came March 5 against then-No. 18 Princeton. Duke is 3-1 this season against top-20 opponents, with its only loss against No. 1 Maryland.
“The majority of our schedule is non-conference games, and we’re just really trying to grow each game and challenge every team,” Kimel said. “So far our season has been great.”
In the team’s most recent victory against the Hoyas, however, Duke (6-1) didn’t start off dominating its opponent.
Georgetown (0-3) won the opening draw, converting the possession into an early 1-0 lead. The Blue Devils quickly retaliated, going on a 7-0 run over the next seven draws. Goalie Mollie Mackler made a huge impact on the game, posting a career-high 15 saves and holding the Hoyas to a season-low five goals.
Duke’s leading scorers for the season also proved instrumental for the Blue Devil offense with junior Kat Thomas amassing four goals on four shots. Redshirt junior Emma Hamm contributed three goals, senior Christie Kaestner added one goal and three assists and Virginia Crotty put up one goal and two assists.
“We were pretty much in command for most of the game,” Kimel said. “We did a good job of winning draws and generating fast break looks.”
Kimel also highlighted the team’s performance without two of its seniors, Sarah Bullard and Caroline Spearman, both of whom have been out for the past couple of games because of injuries.
“They’re still battling, but we’re making good strides right now, and our younger players have played big parts,” Kimel said. “I’m really pleased to see how we’ve developed.”
Even with its recent successes, however, Kimel said there are specific parts of the team’s game that need to be improved as the Blue Devils head into the second half of the season.
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