Robbie Church’s final game at Koskinen Stadium as Duke women’s soccer’s head coach ended exactly as he wanted.
“This is a team that was below .500 last year … and they were determined to turn this around,” Church said. “A lot of us [are] seniors, including me, one of the oldest seniors on the team. It took me a while to graduate, but we were going to have a great year.
The Blue Devils put on a defensive masterclass while showcasing their offensive prowess as Duke earned its fourth straight shutout in the NCAA Tournament and powered 1-0 over Virginia Tech.
Both teams walked into the match with similar backstories. Neither team made the NCAA Tournament last year but had completely turned around their play to make it this year. Both teams had lost to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament, Virginia Tech in the first round and Duke in the semifinals.
That’s where the similarities ended.
Virginia Tech (14-6-3) boasted an impressive defense coming into Saturday night’s match. The Hokies have held most of their opponents to one or fewer goals on the season. That defensive strength was evident for the first 30 minutes of the first half. Even though the Blue Devils (18-3-1) maintained possession of the ball, they could not make it all the way past the Hokie backline and find the back of the net.
“We’re our best when we’re playing short passes and quick passes, and getting the ball off our feet,” Church said. “We wanted [Virginia Tech] to chase a little bit more.”
Virginia Tech goalkeeper Lauren Hargrove had her work cut out for her to stop Duke’s offensive onslaught. Hargrove made four saves in the first half alone as the Blue Devils searched for an open look, expertly passing the ball across the field and using their impressive speed in the hope of earning their first goal of the night. The Temecula, Calif., native saved shots from Maggie Graham, Mia Oliaro and Devin Lynch in quick succession to keep the scoreboard empty.
Initially, it seemed as though neither team was willing to give up a goal. Hargrove’s goalkeeping prowess kept Duke scoreless while the home team’s backline refused to let the Hokies anywhere near their side of the goal.
Then, finally, in the 33rd minute of the game, as they almost always have done this season, the Blue Devils broke through. Off of a Hannah Bebar corner kick, there was absolute chaos in the box. Sophomore defender Cameron Roller initially got a foot on the ball, but it was blocked by a Hokie defender, bouncing down to the waiting feet of Katie Groff. With an impressive presence of mind, Groff whirled around and hammered the goal to the back of the net for the only goal of the evening.
“All credit to Hannah’s ball and Cam getting the first head on it,” Groff said. “It’s kind of hard to miss from 2-yards out, so I’m glad I was able to put that one away.”
As they have grown used to, Duke’s defense made it a quiet first half for Virginia Tech, who did not get a single shot off in the first half. The Blue Devil defensive backline remained stalwartly solid, protecting goalkeeper Leah Freeman from having to make any saves in the first half.
Coming out of the locker room, the Blue Devils worked hard to keep their hard-earned lead. Virginia Tech burst out of the half far more aggressive than it had in the first half, and finally gave Freeman something to do.
“Second half got a little bit more chaotic,” Church said. “But I still thought we had complete control of it.”
Early in the second half, Freeman came out of the goal to meet Virginia Tech’s Natalie Mitchell who was streaking toward the goal, hoping to score the equalizer for her team. But Freeman refused to let that happen, sliding to the ground to save the shot and keep the Hokies shutout.
Still, it was a far more even second half for both teams. After having no shots in the first half, Virginia Tech had four shots, compared to Duke’s 13. Though the Blue Devils controlled possession, the Hokies continued to threaten them from all sides, down to the final seconds of the game.
“This is the fourth straight game that we have not conceded a goal,” Church said. “And in this tournament, you’re going to go a long way if you don’t concede a goal.”
The Blue Devils now advance to Church’s fourth College Cup and the program’s fifth. All four teams in this year's College Cup are in the ACC, and Duke will once more face off against archrival North Carolina for a chance at the Championship game.
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