This season, as part of our new Soccer: Sunday Scorecard, we’ll be reviewing the games Duke is involved in over the weekend. This weekend the men’s team took on Santa Clara Friday night and Delaware Sunday, while the women’s team traveled out west to battle USC Friday and Washington State Sunday.
Men’s Soccer:
Friday
Santa Clara 2, Duke 1
Duke took the lead in the second half but couldn’t hold on as Santa Clara scored two goals within three minutes to knock off the Blue Devils Friday night. Quality defending was the story of the first half, as neither team managed to put together anything offensively. Yet, in the 56th minute, opportunity presented itself in the form of a free kick from just 25 yards out. Sophomore Sean Davis sent a swerving cross to the far post where Sebastien Ibeagha jumped over a Bronco defender to head it past the Santa Clara keeper for the first goal of the game.
In the 71st minute, Santa Clara was gifted a penalty kick following a foul in the Duke box. Erik Hurtado converted from the spot to tie the game 1-1. Less than three minutes later, the Broncos again capitalized from a set piece. Wes Culver sent a corner kick into the box where Ryan Masch fired it into the top right corner past James Belshaw to give the Broncos the lead.
Davis almost equalized in the 81st minute, but his shot from 20 yards out bounced off the crossbar as Duke lost its second game of the season.
Sunday
Duke 2, Delaware 1
Duke recorded its first win of the season in a come-from-behind victory over Delaware Sunday afternoon. The Blue Hens got off to a fast start as just six minutes in, Kyle Bruno found Joe Dipre on the right side of the box. Dipre rifled a low shot into the left side of the next for a quick 1-0 lead.
A nice display of possession in the 27th minute evened the score for the Blue Devils. Freshman Luis Rendon found Ryan Thompson alone on the left flank. Thompson then sent in perfect cross into the center of the box to find an open Nick Palodichuk for a header to make it 1-1.
Three minutes later Rendon was in the center of the action again as Sebastian Ibeagha flicked the ball over the Blue Hen back line and Rendon raced on and finished low for the go-ahead goal, lifting the Blue Devils to their first win on the season.
Women’s Soccer:
Friday
Duke 2, Southern California 1
Kim DeCesare’s two goals carried the No. 4 Blue Devils to a win over USC Friday night. Duke got off to a slow start, as the Trojans caught the Blue Devils napping early on. Just six minutes in the Trojans’ Jordan Marada found Alex Quincey off a corner kick for a quick 1-0 lead.
In the second half however, Duke consistently maintained possession in their opponent’s third of the field, and in the 62nd minute, DeCesare found the breakthrough. Following a cross from Laura Weinberg, DeCesare fired a shot past the Trojan keeper for her fourth goal of the season.
Eight minutes later, Weinberg sent a corner in, which was flicked to the back post by Gilda Dora where DeCesare was waiting to finish. DeCesare has already matched her goals total from last season with five, while Doria recorded her fourth assist of the season.
Sunday
Duke 4, Washington State 0
Kim DeCesare was at it again for the Blue Devils, powering the Duke offense to a 4-0 thrashing of Washington State Sunday. After notching two goals on Friday against USC, the redshirt junior wasted little time getting on the score sheet Sunday, with a goal in the 22nd minute off an assist from Cassie Pecht to put the Blue Devils up 1-0.
Callie Simpkins then connected on a header in the 40th minute for her first goal of the season.
At the beginning of the second half, DeCesare was taken down in the box, drawing a penalty kick for Duke. Laura Weinberg stepped up and confidently converted from the spot. Finally, to end the route, Simpkins earned her second goal of the game with great perseverance as after having two shots blocked, found some room on her third try and pushed the ball past the Cougar keeper.
Blue Devil keeper Tara Campbell earned her first clean sheet of the season, and the senior is now only six shutouts away from tying the Duke career record.
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