Coming into the 2025 season, Duke women’s lacrosse had very little to lose. Early exits from both the ACC and NCAA tournaments, coupled with a 10-9 record, told the story of a team with plenty of talent and star power struggling to find chemistry and consistency on big stages against tough opponents.
In their opening weekend of play, the Blue Devils showed that they have turned the page on 2024 and are ready to redefine the program in the new year.
No. 25 Duke overcame a rocky first half to pull off a 17-6 victory against High Point Sunday, capping off a two-game homestand. Graduate student Callie Hem, sophomore Bella Goodwin and senior Carly Bernstein each had hat tricks on the day, while redshirt junior Kennedy Everson made five saves between the pipes.
“It was a tough game … they came out firing on all cylinders, and it took us a little to kind of recalibrate,” said head coach Kerstin Kimel after the contest against the Panthers. “It looked like an early season game at times, but then I felt like … we were able to really create momentum and then hold on to it.”
The turning point for Duke came in the third quarter, after the two teams went into the halftime locker room tied at five. High Point’s Esprit Cha got things started early, firing a shot past Everson to put the Panthers up 6-5 less than a minute into the second half. However, the Blue Devils did not let their opponent get too far ahead before cashing in themselves.
Senior Kerry Nease won the next draw before the ball eventually found its way to Mattie Shearer. The senior drew a foul, earning a free position shot along the eight-meter arc. Instead of going for glory herself, the midfielder looked up and found Bernstein.
Shearer fired a pass into the stick of the Short Hills, N.J., native as she cut toward her teammate from the left side of the goal. Bernstein rolled around the crease and carefully placed a shot past High Point goalie Ava Welsh to tie the game at six. With the game dead even, the Millburn product wasn’t done.
Less than a minute later, Bernstein fired a long-range rocket from the left elbow of the eight meter. Throwing her stick down emphatically, the senior’s pure joy matched the emotions of everyone on the team — she had just given Duke its first lead of the game. The attacker completed her hat trick before the third quarter ended to put the Blue Devils up 9-6, and the home team did not look back from there. Duke ended on a 12-0 run to close out the game and put the Panthers squarely in the rearview mirror.
“I thought the kids did a much better job … particularly in the third quarter, of executing what we wanted and then finishing on their shots,” Kimel said.
Despite the final score, Duke struggled against High Point for much of the first half. The visitors opened on a 3-0 run, powered by a goal from junior Shannon Smith. The Northport, N.Y., native opened the scoring less than a minute into the contest by shouldering past her defender and powering her way up the middle of the eight-meter arc before firing it past Everson.
Goals from Allie Connally and Bella Germani added to the Blue Devils’ burden, but a goal from Hem staunched the bleeding for Duke.
Kimel’s squad remained on the defensive for the rest of the first quarter, ending the first 15 minutes of play down 4-2. Goals from Goodwin, freshman Sadie Stafford and another tally from Hem kept the Blue Devils in the game, but the Panthers had an answer for every Duke goal.
On the defensive end, High Point forced two shot clock violations in the second quarter alone. However, it was the Blue Devils’ defense that started the momentum shift, coming up with key stops to put the Panthers on their heels.
“Our defenders did a good job of stepping up, and then trying to redirect them away from the cage,” Kimel said. “We needed to play with a bit more presence, and I think once we did that, we were able to dictate more versus react.”
Duke’s victory against High Point was not the only win of the weekend. The Blue Devils also took down Elon in convincing fashion with their 16-7 victory. Hem — the Harvard transfer — led the way with six goals in her Duke debut, while Goodwin added a hat trick and three assists. Everson combined with graduate transfer Chloe Provenzano for 10 saves.
“I thought [Elon] really challenged us,” said Kimel “There was no quit in them.”
With two wins under their belts, the Blue Devils will go on the road to face No. 11 Johns Hopkins Saturday.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Mackenzie Sheehy is a Trinity junior and associate editor for The Chronicle's 120th volume.