Entering the weekend, Duke field hockey was excited to take on top opponents in the Big 10. It certainly got that opportunity, with two top-five matchups to prove its strength.
After falling to the host team Northwestern, the fifth-ranked Blue Devils (3-1) closed out the ACC/BIG 10 Cup with a 2-0 victory against No. 4 Maryland. The matchup took place at Lakeside Field in Evanston, Ill., and while Duke came out buzzing, an early called-back goal shifted the momentum in the Terrapins’ favor. Maryland was able to sustain offensive zone time throughout the competition until a lone goal in the third period by senior midfielder Josephine Palde cemented Duke’s first ranked win of the season.
“[Palde’s] been ripping the ball so well all season. It was really great to see her put one on target, and it came at a crucial moment,” head coach Pam Bustin said of the goal. “When her goal went, that was it. It turned the tide. We got back up on the front foot, and we were able to finish out the game the way we wanted to.”
In a third quarter dominated by white jerseys in the offensive zone, it was the veterans who brought the Blue Devils back. As the second half began play, the Terps (3-1) picked up right where they left off, creating plenty of offensive pressure while Duke struggled to connect in its final offensive third.
When the Blue Devils’ offense was finally able to get a pass through to the final third, Palde was able to capitalize on the opportunity. Alone in the final third, Palde took the open space, dribbled into the shooting circle and stared down three defenders.
After breaking through, the senior shot a ball past the left foot of goalie Alyssa Klebasko and into the back of the net. The goal, coming in the seventh minute of the third quarter, is Palde’s second of the year.
Central to the victory were Duke’s defensive efforts. When the Blue Devils struggled to break through in the offensive zone, it was the defense that kept them in the game — led by a strong presence in goal. Starting in net for Duke was Penn transfer Frederique Wollaert. With the loss of Piper Hampsch — the Blue Devils’ primary goalie during their impressive 2023 season — finding a replacement was going to be a difficult task. However, Wollaert proved she can certainly put on a performance, stopping four shots on goal and earning herself a shutout in Sunday’s victory.
“As we were trying to figure it out and get back into our game, [Wollaert] really kept us in it.” Bustin said. “She did such a fantastic job in the goal cage, keeping it clean and giving us the chance to get our feet back underneath us.”
Toward the end of the third quarter, with Bustin’s squad up a goal, Maryland was awarded its fourth penalty corner of the game. After an initial blocked shot, a shot by Josie Hollamon found its way past a sea of Blue Devils. Wollaert, though, was able to navigate through a crowd of black jerseys and make a leaping save.
Duke’s defense continued to be tested throughout the entirety of the competition, and penalty cards were the topic of conversation. In the second quarter, green cards awarded to freshman Julia Boehringer and senior Kira Curland put the Blue Devils on the defensive, playing for a total of four minutes down a man. Duke was able to make it out of the quarter unscathed, but Maryland dominated, out shooting the Blue Devils 5-0.
Along with penalty cards, penalty corners were a major storyline in both of Duke’s matchups this weekend. Against the Terrapins, the Blue Devils were able to stop all four penalty corners. However, Duke’s inability to do the same against No. 1 Northwestern was central in its first loss of the season.
The Blue Devils opened up the weekend with a matchup against the host. A matchup against the Wildcats at Lakeside Field is a familiar memory for the Duke squad, as the two teams faced off in the semifinals of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils met a similar fate Friday, falling 2-0 in a game mostly controlled by the home team. Two first-quarter penalty corners cemented the victory for Northwestern.
Despite the tough loss, Duke was able to regroup and end the weekend on a positive note with a win against the fourth-ranked team in the country.
“That's the beauty of this tournament.” Bustin said. “You don't get much time to catch your breath before you have to go out and face another top team. And for our group to do that, I'm really impressed. I mean, it was quite a battle on Friday, we gave it all, and we played probably one of our best games. So to kind of expect to replicate that in 24 hours is asking a lot. We did what we had to.”
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