A week removed from its first loss of the season, Duke ground out a tough win against Syracuse behind a complete team performance.
The No. 6 Blue Devils used a hat trick from senior attacker Brigid Smith and critical turnover caused by senior Taylor Trimble to outlast the No. 7 Orange Saturday in a 10-9 shootout at Koskinen Stadium. Syracuse held a distinct possession advantage in the second half—collecting eight of 11 second-half draws—but Duke made the most of the opportunities it was granted, scoring on four of five free-position shots to edge Syracuse in the first meeeting between the teams in Durham.
The victory comes only one week after the Blue Devils struggled to execute both offensively and defensively en route to a 13-10 road defeat the hands of then-No. 8 Virginia. For head coach Kerstin Kimel, Saturday’s performance was a return to the level of play she has come to expect from her squad.
“Our whole theme today was that we have to win the little battles and be willing to stay engaged in each of those little battles throughout the entire game,” Kimel said. “I thought we didn’t do a great job of that at Virginia last week, but today that was the most important thing that we did and we did it well.”
After coming out slow against the Cavaliers, Duke (10-1, 4-1 in the ACC) began Saturday’s match against the Orange with a dazzling offensive display. Senior Katie Trees corralled the opening draw and led a Blue Devil charge down the field, passing the ball to freshman midfielder Maddie Crutchfield. With only 36 seconds shaved off the clock, Crutchfield dished the ball to a cutting Smith, who chipped in the first goal of the game.
Syracuse (8-4, 1-2) would respond, though, needing only a minute to notch the equalizing goal on a drive to the net by Orange freshman Riley Donahue. Syracuse then brought pressure, challenging Duke ball carriers between the 30-yard lines. The strategy had an immediate impact on the Blue Devils’ ability to move the ball down the field, resulting in eight first-half turnovers by the home team.
But Kimel’s squad made up for a stalled offense with a stalwart defensive effort. Behind Crutchfield’s three ground balls and three caused turnovers, Duke disrupted the Orange’s own offensive rhythm, preventing Syracuse from finding the go-ahead goal. The Blue Devils also benefited from another stellar showing in net by junior goaltender Kelsey Duryea, who posted nine saves on the day and denied the Orange on four of their five free-position shot opportunities.
“We did a good job of putting pressure on their shots, Kimel said. “Particularly in the first half, our defense did a super job of not letting their offense get in any rhythm. Anything that was a ground ball, we were coming up with it.”
With 9:44 left in the first half, Duke had an offensive breakthrough when Crutchfield maneuvered past multiple Syracuse defenders on a drive that culminated in a shot that whizzed over Orange goalkeeper Kelsey Richardson’s left shoulder. The score capped a three-goal run that opened the game up a little and propelled Duke to a a 5-4 advantage heading into the halftime break.
When both teams squared their feet in preparation for the second 30 minutes of action, Duke emerged as the more energized team. The Blue Devils countered Syracuse’s pressure with full-field pressure of their own and sped up the pace of their offensive possessions.
Similar to how it started the first half, Kimel’s squad found the scoreboard early. With 26:26 left to go, Smith was fouled inside the crease and set up for an opportunity to notch her second goal of the game. When the referee blew his whistle, the Rockville, Md., native charged the net and skipped the ball off the ground to put her team up by two.
But the Orange refused to go away. Sophomore Taylor Poplawski arced in a shot that found the back of the net on an ensuing Orange possession and junior Kayla Treanor—who finished the game with three goals and two forced turnovers—posted the equalizer with 23:14 remaining.
“I today think our team just grinded it out harder [than Syracuse],” Smith said. “Coach told us earlier in the week that you can’t cheat the grind. I think we all had that in our minds today and used it to motivate a winning effort.”
Despite all of the offensive action packed into the second half, the game would be decided on a defensive stop. Leading 10-9 with 3:44 left on the clock, the Blue Devils were on their heels as the Orange charged down midfield aiming to extend the game. The Duke midfield—led by Trimble—rushed forward to pressure the Syracuse attackers and slow them down.
Trimble then made the play of the game, as her fierce pursuit of the ball caused Orange defender Brenna Rainone to lose control of the ball. The Duke midfielder completed the play by gathering the ball and dishing it to a teammate as the clock wound down to lock up Duke’s 10th win of the season.
“We took a little bit of risk taking a shot with three minutes left,” Kimel said. "But the big thing for me was that on defense we forced their defenders to have to handle the ball. We blocked off their most important people and stopped them from advancing the ball. Ultimately, Trimble was able to cause a huge turnover, get us back possession and preserve the win.”
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