As sophomore Mia Minestrella stepped back to take a penalty kick for Duke in the closing minutes against Missouri, the Blue Devils already had the victory well within grasp. Minestrella herself had already scored a goal earlier in the 40th minute of the game. Scoring would do nothing but add another tally onto her team's scoring streak and make Minestrella the first Duke player to score more than one goal in a game this season.
Still, Minestrella rose to the occasion, coolly kicking the ball into the net as the Blue Devils tamed the Tigers.
No. 8 Duke defended its backyard Thursday evening, as it sent Missouri — led by head coach and former Duke standout Stefanie Golan — back home scoreless in a dominant 7-0 victory.
“Everybody is just so committed to the team,” head coach Robbie Church said of the win. “They're not worried who's scoring goals. It's just Duke that is scoring goals.”
Scoring goals was the name of the game for Duke (5-1), as it extended its shut-out streak to five consecutive games and dismantled Missouri (2-4-1) in the process.
Graduate student Maggie Graham kicked things off for the Blue Devils. After goalkeeper Bella Hollenbach blocked her first attempt at a goal mere seconds before, Graham quickly sought redemption.
Harvard transfer Hannah Bebar sent the ball into the box on a powerful kick, where it was neatly headed by junior Devin Lynch right to the waiting feet of Graham. Mere inches in front of Hollenbach, Graham refused to once again walk away empty-handed and sent the ball into the left side of the net.
“She’s a little bit of the heart and soul of our team,” Church said of Graham. “She's scoring big goals for us. She does things that fifth-year leaders and captains do.”
Graham’s goal certainly lit the spark for her team. About five minutes later, fifth-year Katie Groff added her name to the list of Blue Devils to score their first goal of the season over the past two games. A foul by the Tigers gave Duke a free kick and the opportunity to go up 2-0 which Groff readily took, sailing the ball just past the fingertips of Hollenbach.
Despite Duke’s two early goals, the Tigers looked poised to attack multiple times throughout the night. In fact, junior Kylee Simmons struck the first shot of the match in the opening minutes, which bounced just off the crossbar.
Later in the 31st minute with the home team up 2-0, Tiger forward Brianna Buels sent the ball high toward the right side of the goal. The Duke fans assembled at Koskinen Stadium held their breath, as it seemed the Blue Devils' shutout streak would finally come to an end, but the Blue Devils' goalkeeper Leah Freeman refused to let that happen. Freeman dove for the save to keep Missouri scoreless and Duke’s shutout streak firmly intact.
These two early chances would be some of the Tigers’ last. The Blue Devils' airtight defense would not allow them another opportunity to take a shot until the 63rd minute, and Duke ended up outshooting Missouri 23-5 on the night.
The closing minutes of the first half ended in an own goal from the Tigers which put the Blue Devils up 4-0, and when the whistle blew once more and the second half began, it remained all Duke.
Less than two into the second half, Bebar, who assisted Graham in the first score of the day, got her own chance to shine and add onto the goal fest. As the ball looked like it was headed out of bounds, Northwestern transfer Ella Hase used her speed to get in front and send it rocketing toward the goal, where Bebar headed it into the net for her first goal as a Blue Devil.
“[Hase] had a great cross, and I just got in the box and headed it home,” Bebar said. “Being new on this team this year, I’ve seen the energy that each girl brings onto the field.”
Before the night was through, another transfer would score her first goal as a Blue Devil. Five minutes after Bebar put Duke up 5-0, North Carolina transfer Mia Oliaro made it an even half-dozen. After masterfully handling a pass from junior Carina Lageyre, the Chapel Hill native powered the ball into the crossbar, where it took an advantageous bounce into the goal.
“We didn't see a lot of these goals go in last year, so it's been nice to see them go in this year,” Church said.
With seven goals, the Blue Devils beat a season high they just set Sunday afternoon against East Tennessee State — it was the most goals in a game since Nov. 21, 2021.
Duke remains perfect at home thus far through nonconference play and will start ACC play on the road against Clemson Sept. 19.
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