Fourteen seconds. That was all it took for the Blue Devils to break the deadlock in their NCAA tournament opener and start their journey to their first national semifinal appearance since 2011.
Highlighted by a record-setting performance by senior Kerrin Maurer, third-seeded Duke defeated unseeded Southern California 17-9 at Koskinen Stadium Sunday afternoon. Although the Trojans made it a three-goal game twice in the second half, the Blue Devils put up a 5-0 run in the last 11 minutes to secure the victory.
“Our kids were sharp in terms of knowing the plan and what our looks wanted to be,” Duke head coach Kerstin Kimel said. “Also, the fact that we were able to gain some momentum out of transition really helped.”
Despite cloudy skies and some showers, it was a bright day for Duke (15-4). The Blue Devils took a 6-1 lead just 12 minutes into the opening half, with senior midfielder Taylor Trimble notching her seventh hat trick of the season in a seven-minute span.
Assisted by senior attacker Chelsea Landon, Trimble scored the first goal of the game 14 seconds after the opening draw. Three minutes later, the Rosemont, Pa., native found the back of the net for the second time with a free-position shot.
“We definitely wanted to start out strong,” Trimble said. “We looked at their defense and saw that they were playing in zone. So initially we did a good job at attacking that zone defense that they threw at us.”
Southern California (14-6)—which entered the contest averaging 13.3 scores per contest—responded with an unassisted tally by Amanda Johansen 5:27 into the opening period. But the Trojans could not keep pace with the high-powered offense that has fueled Kimel squad all season.
Three veterans registered a hat trick against the Trojans Sunday—Trimble, midfielder Brigid Smith and Maurer, who ended the game with four tallies. By the media timeout with 18:20 left, the Blue Devils had shot 12 times and converted 50 percent of their attempts.
Landon, Maurer and midfielder Katie Trees each notched a goal after the the timeout. After Southern California showed signs of life late in the half, Duke headed to the locker room with a 9-5 lead.
Duke extended its lead to 11-5 in the first four minutes of the second half thanks to scores by freshman attacker Kyra Harney and Smith, but again the Trojans did not go away. Michaela Michael scored two goals in a one-minute span—her 62nd and 63rd of the year—and Annie Ruland added another to trim the Duke lead to 11-8. Harney, assisted by Trees, snapped the Trojans’ 3-0 run but Cynthia Del Core made it a three-goal game again with an unassisted goal.
That was the closest Southern California got to making a comeback. A decisive 5-0 run secured the win for the Blue Devils, with a third tally by Harney and four more by veterans. With the victory, Duke advances to its third straight appearance in a national championship quarterfinal.
“We got it to three goals and we had a couple of opportunities but it’s just a matter of still staying calm when we made a run,” Southern California head coach Lindsey Munday said. “At times we just tried to make a big play but it turned into a mistake and then they scored a couple of goals in a row.”
Although six of their goals came on transition opportunities, the Blue Devils were able to solve the Trojan defense by working the ball around patiently during the second half. Eleven of the 17 scores were assisted, with Trees registering a career-high four helpers and Harney, Landon, Smith and Maurer feeding their teammates twice each.
With her two assists Sunday, Maurer reached 117 for her career, becoming the top facilitator in the history of the program.
“It’s an honor to be part of Duke’s history for most assists,” the Setauket, N.Y., native said. “But I owe it to my teammates mostly. An assist takes a person to finish it so I couldn’t have done without them.”
Kimel touted Maurer's awareness as the key to her success during her four years in Durham.
“Kerrin has such a good field vision and such a lacrosse IQ that she knew the looks we needed,” Kimel said. “She was a big part of facilitating that today and she knows when to distribute, when to finish. I’m proud of her.”
On the defensive end of the field, junior goalkeeper Kelsey Duryea delivered four saves in each period. Duke’s goalie added three ground balls to her stat line, and defenders Isabelle Montagne and Claire Scarrone combined for three more, which helped jumpstart the Blue Devils’ transition opportunities.
“I loved [the team] defensively,” Kimel said. “We did a really good job of being patient and putting enough pressure to give Kelsey [Duryea] a good chance to make a save. If the ball came out, our defenders were right there to pick it up whether it was Claire [Scarrone] or Gabby [Moise]. And Kelsey took some risks coming out of the cage. That’s what you want to see at this time of the year.”
The Blue Devils will return to action at Koskinen Stadium Saturday at 1 p.m. as they take on unseeded Princeton in the NCAA quarterfinals.
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