A packed home crowd at Spry Stadium was no match for Mia Oliaro, who scored two goals at Wake Forest Sunday to take the 2024 ACC regular season title for the Blue Devils.
In the weekend’s highly anticipated matchup, No. 1 Duke defeated No. 2 Wake Forest 2-0 on the road. The contest between the top two teams in the nation proved to be a physical and competitive turnout. Both relied on their defensive efforts to limit chances in the final offensive third. However, an early second-half goal by Oliaro shifted the momentum of the game and gave the Blue Devils a newfound confidence to lead them to victory.
“They wanted to be great. They wanted to win trophies. They wanted to win championships,” head coach Robbie Church said after the win. “For us to come out here, the biggest crowd they’ve ever had at this stadium … to come out and really dominate the game was unbelievable … we have the heart of a champion.”
Oliaro certainly had the mentality of a champion as she stepped out onto the pitch in the second half of play. Still tied at 0-0, Duke (13-1-1, 8-0-1 in the ACC) began connecting passes in the final third, inching closer to finding the first goal. Opportunity struck in the 52nd minute when fifth-year Katie Groff passed a ball from the edge of the box across the entirety of the net, sneaking past a crowd of players at the front post. An undefended Oliaro passed the ball through a defender’s legs so that it found its way into the back of the net.
“We felt like that first goal was so important in this game,” Church said. “For us to be able to get that, it's awesome.”
The North Carolina transfer wasn’t done yet. In the 70th minute of play, Oliaro took the ball on her own down the right sideline before reaching the top corner of the box. With a quick cut past a defender, the sophomore took the open space and ripped the ball past the Demon Deacons’ goalkeeper into the back of the net. The two goals comprise Oliaro’s sixth and seventh of the season and continue her eight-game point streak.
“It was just so exciting and just so happy to put this team up 2-0,” Oliaro said. “We’ve really just been working so hard that I was glad we could finally get another goal and put them down even more.”
The first half of play followed a bit of a different trend, as Wake Forest’s offense was able to apply more physicality and pressure. The team attempted to send long balls into the box and were quick to compete in 1-on-1 battles all across the pitch. In the final third, the Demon Deacons (11-3-2, 6-2-1 in the ACC) sent through balls to its offense, creating a few risky opportunities to break away from Blue Devil defenders.
However, once the first goal reached the back of the net for Duke, the momentum shifted and the visiting offense began to play with more confidence. Church's squad applied immediate pressure, getting to the ball first both in the backline and final third of play. With this confidence, the Blue Devils fended off any late pressure by their opponents and concentrated the ball in the offensive zone. Connecting passes down the line and finding open spaces for players like Oliaro on the wing, Duke could comfortably close out the win against its most important match yet.
The Blue Devils’ backline looked a little different tonight, with sophomore Sam Bodensteiner earning her first collegiate start in place of graduate student Nicky Chico, who received a red card in the team’s last match against Notre Dame. Still, Duke’s defense played strong and composed throughout the entirety of the match, earning its eighth shutout of the season.
“Our defense was spectacular, with Sam jumping in there, she just came in so strong,” Oliaro said. “She was awesome back there, relentless … The whole backline was just such a force to be reckoned with.”
Duke will close out the regular season with a road game against No. 4 North Carolina Oct. 31. The Blue Devils defeated the Tar Heels 1-0 Sept. 5 and will look for this same outcome in a sure-to-be physical and competitive matchup. Church’s squad can now sleep a little easier before the Halloween matchup, thanks to their new hardware in the form of the ACC regular season trophy.
“It’s so rewarding that they win the trophy, you know, and it's not mine. It's everybody's,” Church said. “Everybody's been committed to this.”
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