After earning a quick goal to take an early advantage over Maryland, Duke looked as if it was ready to upset the top-seeded Terrapins.
But the Blue Devils’ were quickly put in their place, as the defending national champions quickly went on to outscore Duke 8-1 through the rest of the first half en route to a 14-8 win Friday night in Stony Brook, N.Y., to advance to the NCAA championship, where they lost to Northwestern. The Terrapins’ defense forced 18 Duke turnovers, 12 in the first half, effectively putting the Blue Devils on their heels for the entire contest.
“I thought that they were outstanding tonight,” head coach Kerstin Kimel said. “They did not make a lot of mistakes, and they made us make mistakes, and they made us pay for them as well.”
Going into the game, Kimel knew firsthand that fifth-seeded Duke would have to play at the top of their game if they wanted to come away with a win. The two teams already met in ACC play on Feb. 26, with Maryland coming out on top 18-11.
Before the contest, however, the coach said the two teams would be very different from the way they were when they first met. She also knew that the team would especially have to watch out for Maryland’s offense, especially scoring on the transition.
What they didn’t expect, however, was such a strong defensive show from the Terrapins.
“I definitely think that we got taken out of our offensive game,” Kimel said. “We are a team that likes to pass the ball and to move it, and that was our game plan.... They did a great job defensively forcing us into some mistakes. Maryland just wore us down with possessions, and eventually they [were] going to score.”
Not gaining a championship berth, however, did not put a damper on Duke’s successes throughout the year. One thing the team constantly faced was having players injured or ill, forcing the Blue Devils to adopt a constantly-rotating lineup as they adapted to a variety of ailments.
“This was a very special group for us, and in general, I’m extremely proud,” Kimel said. “We’ve had a lot of adversity with injuries, sicknesses, things like that that caused our lineup to flux. I think our team just reacted really well to that. I think our younger players, particularly our freshmen and sophomores, really stepped up to the plate and performed for us.”
Though various key seniors—like Sarah Bullard and Caroline Spearman—were missing from the lineup during the season because of injuries, they still provided valuable experience and support for their teammates, both on and off the field.
“I think it was really neat for the team to listen to this senior class reflect back on lessons that they learned when we met for the last time over the weekend,” Kimel said. “They will leave behind a tremendous legacy of leadership, and they did a great job in investing in their team and teammates this year and helping to create a tremendous culture for this group, and a lot of what they did will be carried on into the future.”
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