Riding a four-game win streak, Duke extended it to six this weekend with two dominant shutouts — 3-0 against Louisville and 4-0 against VCU.
In the Sunday home matchup, the Rams had an impressive offensive showing that dominated the first quarter. Despite this, Duke’s defense remained strong under pressure and prevented its opponent from capitalizing on opportunities in the shooting circle.
“It's a great win starting our three game homestand. [VCU is] a very talented team, a very dangerous team, so hopefully they'll do well in their conference as well,” Bustin said after the game. “I think we had been a little slow to start, as far as … the energy that we wanted to come out with.”
This slow start did not last for long, as graduate student Charlie van Oirschot led Duke’s rebound in the second quarter. Early on, the midfielder seized the ball in the shooting circle and artfully dribbled through the Rams’ defense. With an electric shot, van Oirschot secured the Blue Devils’ first goal and revived Duke’s offensive energy, causing VCU’s defense to falter.
“I just feel like [van Oirschot] said, ‘Fine, I'll do it.’ That was such a great burst of energy that fed the team,” Bustin said on van Oirschot’s charge.
The Haarlem, Netherlands, native continued to rally Duke’s offense as the Rams’ composure began to slip in response. VCU gave the Blue Devils four corners in the second quarter. Graduate Bronwyn Bird capitalized on the last with her first goal of the season, cementing the Blue Devils' lead before the end of the first half.
Duke’s strong offensive demonstration continued into the second half. In a tense battle at the Rams’ scoring circle, graduate student Barb Civitella prevailed, scoring a goal assisted by senior midfielder Josephine Palde.
“We just fed off that first one and then the second one, and then we started getting back into our rhythm on the field,” Bustin said on the team’s pace.
The Blue Devils’ momentum didn’t stop there. Immediately following Civitella’s goal, Duke earned a penalty stroke. Standout junior Alaina McVeigh utilized this moment to earn Duke’s fourth and final point of the game. Duke’s scoring total is tied with its early October game against Cal for the Blue Devils’ highest-scoring game of the regular season.
Bustin attributes the team’s string of six victories to the players’ growing confidence.
“Now more and more of [the players] are having the confidence to step up, and we're there at the right time to finish [the play] when we need to,” she said.
Goalie Frederique Wollaert’s performance ensured Duke would earn its eighth shutout game this season. Wollaert’s two back-to-back saves in the first quarter were followed by a successful defense against a shot by VCU’s Josefina Ventimigilia. The Dutch goalie’s 0.30 goals-against average this season tops the NCAA leaderboard.
The Blue Devils had 10 shots compared to their opponent’s four. All of the Rams’ fruitless shots were from corners, exhibiting Duke’s composed and clever defense.
Prior to the Sunday contest, the Blue Devils blanked Louisville 3-0 on the road Friday to keep their momentum with another conference win. Duke’s victory against VCU bodes well for the Blue Devils’ next two games against Boston College and North Carolina. Although the teams pose a challenge for Duke, Bustin feels confident about her team’s prospects.
“For us to start our three-game home stand with [this victory] and then to face … the two teams that are tied for first in the ACC coming up in the next two weeks is awesome. What an opportunity for Duke,” Bustin said.
If the 11th-ranked Blue Devils win the ACC tournament or are ranked within the top 18 teams in the country by the end of the tournament, they will proceed to the NCAA tournament, where they will look to get back to the Final Four.
The final two games against the top two teams in the ACC could be a good indicator of how the Blue Devils will fare in the conference tournament, but Bustin is not basing her championship outlook entirely on these next games.
“If you’ve seen ACC championships before, anything can happen … any team can win on any given day,” Bustin said. “When we had those opportunities, we capitalized.”
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