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. 26-Oct. 2.
Football
For the first time since 2020, the Blue Devils have won a conference game. Under storm clouds at Wallace Wade Stadium, Duke (4-1, 1-0 in the ACC) stomped Virginia 38-17 Saturday evening courtesy of three total touchdowns by sophomore quarterback Riley Leonard and a pair of strong nights by rushers Jordan Waters and Jaylen Coleman, the latter of whom set career bests in both carries (19) and yards (97). The result keeps the Blue Devils unbeaten at home and gives head coach Mike Elko his first conference win with Duke ahead of a 4 p.m. clash Saturday at Georgia Tech. -Andrew Long
Women’s soccer
The fourth-ranked Blue Devils tallied their second loss against a conference team Sunday afternoon to No. 2 Virginia in Koskinen Stadium. Despite both squads getting five first-half shots on goal, only the Cavaliers were lucky in saves, notching three to Duke’s zero. Virginia junior midfielder Lisa Godfrey scored the game’s sole goal in the 28th minute of play. Duke (8-3, 3-1) will get a chance to bounce back Thursday night as it hosts local foe Wake Forest at 7 p.m. -Ana Young
Men’s soccer
After drawing Yale 1-1 Tuesday, No. 4 Duke toppled No. 1 Wake Forest 3-2 on the road Saturday. The Demon Deacons were riding a program-record 13-game home win streak and had just beaten defending national champion Clemson 6-1, but the Blue Devils (7-0-2, 3-0-1), led by impeccable defensive play and set-piece prowess, exploded in the second half to grab the win. The game is Duke’s first time beating a No. 1 team since 2014 and should see the team receive its best ranking in years. Next, it will take on Howard at home Tuesday before ending its week Friday at Virginia. -Sasha Richie
Volleyball
Duke captured its first ACC win this weekend in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Though the Blue Devils (10-5, 1-3) fell to No. 10 Pittsburgh Friday (10-25, 23-25, 11-25), they came out on top in a four-set thriller against Virginia (25-14, 25-14, 16-25, 28-26) Sunday evening. Freshman outside hitter Kerry Keefe is back on the court after an injury, and she made her mark against the Cavaliers with 14 kills for Duke. Up next for Duke are two road matches, first Friday against Florida State and then a Sunday matchup against Miami. -Leah Boyd
Field hockey
Duke faced Wake Forest Sunday in Winston-Salem, N.C., after the game was postponed from its original date Friday due to Hurricane Ian. The Blue Devils (4-7, 0-3) were routed by the Demon Deacons 3-0 as the story of missed opportunities continues for this Duke team, which led in penalty corners 8-1. Duke had a particularly dominant fourth quarter, outshooting Wake Forest 6-1. However, the Blue Devils were unable to convert their strong defense into a comeback. Duke next visits Old Dominion Tuesday and returns home Friday to play Virginia. -Suresh Kannoth
Cross country
In their first real test of the regular season, the Blue Devil men rose to the challenge at the Paul Short Invitational while the women fell short of their potential. On the men’s side, Duke was led by a 16th-place finish from graduate student Matyas Csiki-Fejer, followed closely by Chris Theodore and Zach Kinne, to earn the team fifth place. Despite a 10th-place finish for the women, sophomore Amina Maatoug had a stellar performance, finishing second overall. The Blue Devils will travel to Madison, Wis., Oct. 14 for the Nuttycombe Invitational, their final tune-up before the ACC Championships Oct. 28. -Mackenzie Sheehy
Men’s tennis
The Blue Devils sent seven to the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla. On the first day of competition, each of the four Duke representatives fell in their singles openers, with junior Faris Khan and sophomore Jake Krug victorious in their respective consolation matches. Earlier in the week, senior Garrett Johns defeated No. 3-seed Tennys Sandgren en route to a Round-of-16 berth at the ATP Charleston Challenger. With his run, he increased his world ranking to a career-high No. 638. Freshman Pedro Rodenas and senior Andrew Zhang open the singles qualifying round before Johns and Rodenas play Monday in the doubles draw in Tulsa. -Micah Hurewitz
Women’s tennis
A small contingent of Blue Devils competed at the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, N.C., over the weekend, with sophomore Ellie Coleman, junior Karolina Berankova and freshman Katie Codd hitting the singles court Saturday in the pre-qualifying draw. Only Coleman prevailed in the first round, defeating Texas A&M’s Jeanette Mireles in straight sets on day one. Sunday, Coleman won her first match against Tulane’s Adelaide Lavery before bowing out of the competition with a three-set loss to Illinois’ Katherine Duong. Codd and Berankova will continue in the consolation bracket Monday after Sunday’s weather delay, while the remainder of the Blue Devils will start their own runs in the qualifying and main draws as the week continues. -Jonathan Levitan
Baseball
Duke competed in its first fall exhibition Thursday against N.C. State at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Blue Devils completed their 14-inning game with the help of 12 newcomers, including eight freshmen and the Duke pitching staff’s five consecutive hitless innings. -Hurewitz
Softball’s home fall ball game against Charlotte, originally scheduled for Saturday, was rescheduled for Oct. 14 due to weather. Rowing was scheduled to begin its 2022-23 season at the High Point Rowing Festival, which was also canceled due to weather.
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