Despite conceding a rare early goal Sunday in the third round of the NCAA tournament, the Blue Devils refused to let an NCAA quarterfinal appearance slip from their grasp.
With the score level at 1-1 against Ohio State and less than ten minutes to go, junior Nicole Lipp sent a free kick across the face of the goal, and sophomore Kaitlyn Kerr directed the ball back toward the goal with her head. The ball, seemingly in the air for minutes, eventually looped over goalkeeper Katie Baumgardner and into the opposite corner, giving No. 1 seed Duke the 2-1 victory over Ohio State and a place in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2008.
“I looked at it and was like, ‘Is it going in?’” Kerr said. “It took a while but I’m glad it went in.”
Although the Blue Devils had 20 shots to the Buckeyes’ two, Duke was forced to play from behind after a 17th-minute goal by forward Paige Maxwell on Ohio State’s only clear chance of the game. A mistake at the back allowed the Buckeyes’ Tiffany Cameron to play the ball in to a charging Maxwell, who beat Duke goalkeeper Tara Campbell one-on-one.
The Blue Devils, however, controlled possession and created chance after chance while limiting shots from the opposition. Prior to the Ohio State goal, Duke’s Laura Weinberg had already hit the crossbar with a shot of her own.
“I think we knew we were dominating the game,” Duke defender Natasha Anasi said. “We knew that we were in a good spot and knew that a goal was going to come.”
In the last ten minutes of the first half the Blue Devils peppered Baumgardner. Before the end of the half, Kim DeCesare put a ball in the back of the net, but the play was called back for a foul. Later, Chelsea Canepa hit the crossbar after beating the goalkeeper. The Buckeye defense was not to be breached, however, and Duke went into the half down 1-0.
The Blue Devils came out firing again in the second half and it took less than ten minutes for the equalizer to come. Lipp took a free kick from near the corner and found freshman Kelly Cobb, who mistimed a volley with her right foot but made amends with her left, directing the ball towards goal. Baumgardner let the ball slip out of her hands and through her legs, giving Cobb her 11th goal of the season.
“I was just faking them out,” Cobb joked.
The Blue Devils continued to pile on the pressure, though they could not connect on crosses despite well-run plays. Weinberg had another sterling chance in the second half to score, but could not beat Baumgardner, who had eight saves throughout the game. A goal-line clearance was needed to deny Duke its go-ahead goal before Ohio State finally tested Campbell again, but the Blue Devil goalkeeper denied a chance with a sliding tackle.
With the game nearing overtime, Duke was awarded a free kick near the center circle. Lipp played the ball toward Kerr for the sophomore’s 10th goal of the season, and fourth of the tournament. She has scored in all three tournament rounds.
“I just try to do anything I can to help the team win,” Kerr said. “I really want to win… [and] get this team to where it belongs.”
The game was not over, as Weinberg had yet another opportunity to get on the stat sheet, forcing Baumgardner to make a sharp save low to her left. Ohio State also had a chance to tie the game up when Campbell chased a lofted ball at the edge of her 18-yard box, but the striker beat her to the ball and headed it toward goal. Anasi, who recovered from an injury earlier in the half, was quick in chasing back and clearing it before it crossed the line for a goal.
In the end, Duke hung on to win and progress, countering Ohio State’s physical and defensive play.
“You’ve got to win a lot of different ways,” Church said. “It’s like the old Jimmy Valvano quote—you just have to survive and advance.... Besides the goal we conceded, I’m really happy with how we played.”
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