Sportswrap is your one-stop shop for everything Duke athletics, where we’ll recap how each of Duke’s sports currently in competition performed over the last week and give a brief look ahead. Here’s our recap for the week of Sept. 19-25.
Football
It was an eventful Saturday in Lawrence, Kan., as the Blue Devils took Kansas to the wire in a thrilling 35-27 defeat. Sophomore quarterback Riley Leonard threw for 324 yards and a late-game touchdown to Jalon Calhoun, with the previous scores courtesy of rushes by Jaylen Coleman and Jordan Waters and a pair of field goals from Charlie Ham. The Jayhawks’ early score forced Duke (3-1) to play from behind for the first time this season and snapped its three-game winning streak. The Blue Devils return home looking to bounce back Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against Virginia to open their ACC slate. -Andrew Long
Women’s soccer
Duke traveled to Raleigh Sunday night, where it took on No. 22 N.C. State. The fifth-ranked Blue Devils (8-2, 3-0 in the ACC) defeated the Wolfpack in a 6-0 rout that started with two first-half goals by Michelle Cooper and Mackenzie Pluck. The duo continued its stride into the second half, assisting each other's second goals before Kat Rader and Maggie Graham added two more. Duke will next host No. 2 Virginia at Koskinen Stadium Friday at 7 p.m. -Ana Young
Men’s soccer
Seventh-ranked Duke posted a pair of 1-0 wins against Elon and Boston College to stay undefeated. Sophomore forward Shakur Mohammed scored Tuesday's only goal against the Phoenix unassisted. Meanwhile, after making his return midway through Tuesday’s game from a minor injury sustained against North Carolina, sophomore midfielder Ruben Mesalles broke through Saturday against the Eagles. With their win against Boston College, the Blue Devils (6-0-1, 2-0-1) sit atop the ACC Coastal standings. Next, they will take on Yale at home Tuesday, then they will travel to Wake Forest Saturday. -Sasha Richie
Volleyball
Duke opened its ACC slate with two losses, falling to Syracuse (25-18, 19-25, 22-25, 21-25) Friday afternoon and Boston College (25-22, 12-25, 19-25, 25-21, 12-15) Sunday. The Blue Devils (9-4, 0-2 in the ACC) were hurt by unforced errors against the Orange and struggled to maintain poise on defense against the Eagles’ Alayna Crabtree. Freshman outside hitter Kerry Keefe has been coming off an injury these last couple of weeks but had her first big weekend for Duke, racking up 14 kills and 12 blocks throughout the weekend. Duke will next host No. 10 Pittsburgh Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium before closing its week at home Sunday against Virginia. -Leah Boyd
Field hockey
Duke had a tough home weekend, registering a pair of losses against Boston College and James Madison. The Eagles won 1-0 Friday night after they scored in the second quarter. The Blue Devils (4-6, 0-2) led in penalty corners 3-2 but could not capitalize on those opportunities. Duke looked to avenge its loss with a win against James Madison but again could not convert with a 12-2 penalty-corner advantage After being down 3-0 entering the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils scored two goals in the fourth but the Dukes held their ground for the 4-2 win. Duke travels next to play Wake Forest and Old Dominion Friday and Sunday, respectively. -Suresh Kannoth
Men’s golf
Duke was unable to translate its success in the season-opening Rod Myers Invitational into another stellar performance at the Husky Invitational in Washington, as the team finished a pedestrian 7th out of 15 teams. The Blue Devils were only able to break 70 once this weekend—junior Ian Siebers carded a 69 in his second round—and shot above 80 twice. Their total score of 881 was 13 strokes higher than Washington State’s championship-clinching 868. The team will now have a few weeks to make adjustments and prepare for its next tournament—the Georgetown Intercollegiate in New Jersey from Oct 10-11. -Robert Miron
Women’s tennis
Four Blue Devils were in action this weekend at the Fall Ranked Spotlight—Brianna Shvets, Katie Codd, Cameron Morra and Emma Jackson. Shvets and Codd competed for the first time as a doubles pair, splitting their matches Thursday before losing Sunday. In singles play, Jackson took down 10th-ranked Irina Cantos Siemers of Ohio State in the first round before losing in the second. Morra fared similarly, winning her first match and losing her second. Codd dropped both of her singles matches. Duke will return to the courts Oct. 1-9 in the ITA All-American in Cary, N.C. -Rachael Kaplan
Men’s tennis
The Blue Devils did not compete as a team over the weekend, but senior Garrett Johns suited up for the ATP Charleston Challenger in Mount Pleasant, S.C. Competing unattached, Johns faced off against ninth-ranked Martin Damm in the opening round of singles. The Atlanta native knocked off his 6-foot-7 counterpart 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, and is set to play No. 3 Tennys Sandgren in the second round Monday. The Duke team returns to the court Oct. 1 for the nine-day ITA All-American in Tulsa, Okla. -Max Rego
Softball
Duke continued its fall season with a 10-inning 8-1 win at home against Appalachian State Sunday afternoon. Sophomore infielder Ana Gold homered while pitchers Claire Davidson, Jala Wright, Sophie Garner-MacKinnon and Lillie Walker struck out 14 Mountaineers. -Micah Hurewitz
Cross country did not compete this week and will return to action Friday for the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa.
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