The mark of a mature team is often how it responds following a hard-fought battle.
But after falling in the final two minutes against then-No. 11 Notre Dame last weekend, the Blue Devils failed to regain their composure and faltered against their second straight ACC opponent.
No. 19 Virginia Tech exploded for two separate five-goal runs to deal No. 10 Duke an 11-6 setback Saturday afternoon at Koskinen Stadium—its worst home loss since its regular-season finale against North Carolina in 2015. Despite multiple personnel changes and a late 4-1 run, the Blue Devils could not overcome their lingering turnover issues to take the Hokies down.
“We were hopeful that this team was mature enough to have losing that close, tough game last weekend really have an impact and force us to make some changes,” Duke head coach Kerstin Kimel said. “We didn’t. We’re making the same mistakes.”
Although both teams have reputations for their high-octane offenses—they each entered the game averaging more than 14 goals per game—neither side found the back of the net through the first 10 minutes of the game. Hokie junior Marissa Davey finally ripped one past Blue Devil netminder Jamie Lockwood at 19:55 to open the floodgates for Virginia Tech.
The Hokies (7-2, 2-0 in the ACC) kept their foot on the pedal to score four straight goals from there, capitalizing on Duke’s recurring stick-handling errors and resulting 10 first-half turnovers to control the tempo of the game. Lockwood—who had seemingly secured the starting goalkeeper position—struggled to fend off the Hokie attack.
The Richmond, Va., native had just one save against six shots on goal before Kimel opted to try out freshman Gabbe Cadoux between the pipes with 5:51 left in the half and her team down 5-0.
“We gave up a 5-0 run and I felt like [Lockwood] was a little rattled,” Kimel said. “That happens with goalies. Luckily we have another goalie who can go in, and [Cadoux] did a really good job of coming in and making a difference for us.”
Just 38 seconds after Cadoux took her spot in the crease, Duke (4-2, 0-2) started to find its footing. Sophomore Ellie Majure carved through the Virginia Tech defense and scored right on the doorstep to put the Blue Devils on the board.
Duke carried that momentum into the second half. Sophomore Olivia Jenner—who improved on last weekend’s performance in the faceoff circle to help the Blue Devils to a 12-7 draw-control ledger—secured the ball off the draw and found freshman Catherine Cordrey in the eight-meter arc. The Summit, N.J., native capitalized on a free position shot to pull Duke back within three just 17 seconds into the period.
“I’m glad we were able to secure [that draw-control ledger]” Kimel said. “I’m disappointed, though, that we don’t have more to show for it. When you have a huge draw margin like that, the expectation is that you’re able to finish off those possessions with goals and, unfortunately, too many of our possessions today ended with turnovers or saves.”
Despite the Blue Devils’ momentum, the Hokies refused to back down. Junior Marissa Davey scored her third and fourth goals of the contest to lead Virginia Tech in its second five-goal onslaught on the day. The first four goals of that series came within a 2:31 firestorm that left the Blue Devils reeling. Kimel once again decided to switch out her goalkeeper, putting Lockwood back in for the final 21:27 of the game with the team down 10-2.
Facing by far its largest deficit of the year, Duke fought back a bit by forcing five turnovers and generating a 3-0 run on goals by senior Kitty Morroissey, sophomore Ella Bonafede and junior Maddie Crutchfield.
Crutchfield’s tally came with 10:33 left, giving the Blue Devils some life despite the atrocious start.
“We knew what they were going to be and we just did not step up until the second half,” Kimel said. “We had to make a couple of personnel adjustments and we finally started playing defense the way we know how to play defense.”
But the Duke comeback tapered off from there, as both sides tallied just one more goal apiece in the final seven minutes. Once again, the Blue Devils’ loss stemmed from an inability to maintain possession for a full 60 minutes. Kimel’s team committed 18 turnovers—only nine of which were forced—to Virginia Tech’s 13.
Duke will look to correct these issues by next Saturday, when it travels to Louisville to take on the No. 20 Cardinals. If the Blue Devils cannot finally quell their recurring stick-handling issues by then, they may spend the bulk of March without a conference win.
“Now we have to re-evaluate some things in terms of what we’re doing on the field,” Kimel said. “Maybe some personnel as well. We just need to put ourselves in a position to perform better.”
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