In a thrilling ACC opener, No. 3 Duke secured its sixth consecutive victory, dominating Clemson 3-1 on the road.
“I thought everybody that came in carried out the game plan to perfection and I thought they made a contribution to the win,” head coach Robbie Church said when talking about Duke’s midfield. “This is not an easy place to play, and to kind of dominate the game like that was really, really impressive by this group.”
Heading into the locker room for halftime, the Blue Devils had nine shots, six on goal and four corners, whereas Clemson tallied four shots and only one on goal. Despite Duke’s dominance displayed on the scoresheet, the half ended in a draw.
“I thought we started off just unbelievable. Started up on the front foot, created many, many opportunities,” Church said. “[We] didn't do a great job of finishing the first part of it.”
The second half saw the Blue Devils regain control, coming out with renewed energy. They dominated possession, even as Clemson showed more urgency. The beginning of the end for the Tigers came in the 51st minute when sophomore Mia Oliaro put her body on the line to make a crucial steal in the final third. Her touch found junior Farrah Walters, and the Scottsdale, Ariz., native split the defenders with a precise pass to junior Devin Lynch. Timing her run perfectly, Lynch took a small touch to evade the defenders and slotted the ball into the bottom-left corner past the goalkeeper, giving her team a 2-1 lead.
“I saw Farrah had the ball and I saw the opening, so I made that run and it was a beautiful pass made in by Farrah so it was an easy finish for me,” Lynch said.
Ten minutes later, Duke effectively sealed the win by extending its lead to 3-1. Junior midfielder Carina Lageyre picked up a loose ball, danced around a defender and slid a well-paced ball through to Maggie Graham. With composure and speed, the graduate student took one touch to separate herself from the nearest defender and passed the ball directly under Reason’s outstretched arms for the Blue Devils’ third goal of the evening and her third goal in their last four matches.
The Blue Devils set the tone from the opening whistle, displaying relentless intensity. Their first-half breakthrough came in just the 18th minute when Duke’s sharp midfield play paid off. Lynch threaded a perfectly timed through ball to Graham, who delivered a dangerous first-time cross into the box. The ball curled just away from the Tiger goalkeeper Nona Reason, and found the head of fifth-year Ella Hase. Hase redirected the ball into the back of the net for her 16th career goal.
The Blue Devils high press immediately put Clemson on its back foot, forcing the Tigers into errors in their defensive third. Graham nearly broke the deadlock for the first time in the third minute with a shot off a corner kick flying just wide of the right post. By the ninth minute, Duke had already racked up six shots, four of which were on target, while Clemson struggled to break out of their half and begin an attack. The Blue Devils’ command over the field persisted as they continued to win 50/50 balls in midfield and execute well-coordinated and fast-paced attacks.
A defensive lapse in the 27th minute allowed the Tigers to level the score. A misplaced pass by Duke goalkeeper Leah Freeman was stolen by opposing forward Jenna Tobia. Without hesitation, Tobia struck the ball and buried it inside the near post to tie the game at 1-1 and end the Blue Devils’ five-game clean-sheet streak.
The equalizer gave Clemson a brief surge in confidence, and the Tigers managed a few half-chances, but Duke’s defense recovered quickly, tracking back and cutting off every dangerous opportunity.
Duke’s defense was also resolute throughout the match. In the second half, the team only conceded one shot and did not allow a single corner kick the entire game. The Blue Devil back line was calm under pressure, disrupting Clemson’s offensive pursuits and counterattacks. This was the foundation of Duke’s success, allowing it to maintain control of the game by building out of the back.
“Our defensive side has been very, very good… That's what's important to win games, is the defense,” Church said. “If we can limit goals and then limit shots and attacking opportunities, we're going to be in really good shape because we'll find some goals on the other end.”
The Blue Devils will look to extend their winning streak to seven next week as they return to Durham for their second ACC matchup against SMU.
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