In its first ranked matchup of 2025, Duke took on one of its toughest challenges on this season’s schedule — a road date against Johns Hopkins in the sleet and snow. Looking to avenge a 17-13 loss to the home team a year earlier, the Blue Devils nearly pulled off an upset for the ages. Yet when push came to shove, it was the Blue Jays who soared to victory.
In a nail-biting contest, No. 19 Duke lost to No. 10 Johns Hopkins in a 12-11 overtime defeat. Despite an eight-point performance from senior attacker Carly Bernstein, the Blue Devils were no match for the trio of Ashley Mackin, Ava Angello and Lacey Downey, who combined for 15 points on the day.
It all came down to three minutes of overtime.
After battling their way back into the contest, the Blue Devils (2-1) were still down 11-10 with the clock winding down in the fourth quarter. A low shovel shot from Bernstein with 57 seconds left in regulation tied things up at 11, with the momentum squarely in Duke’s hands heading into extra time. Sophomore Reese Woodworth even won the first draw, and it looked as though the Blue Devils were primed for the upset. Then, things fell apart.
Bernstein turned the ball over under pressure from Downey before it was picked up by midfielder MK Lescault. The Blue Jays quickly made it to the other end of the field, ready to make the most of their offensive opportunity. Downey tried a backhanded shovel shot with her back to the goal, but it missed wide. Her teammate recovered her errant try, giving Johns Hopkins a second chance at victory. The hero was none other than Mackin, who put away her fifth goal of the game to lift her team to glory.
For a chance at overtime, Duke had to slowly claw its way back into the game after going down 7-1 early in the contest. The Blue Devils came alive in the second quarter, powered by senior Mattie Shearer. Fed by a precision pass from Bernstein, Shearer quickly fired a shot past goalie Morgan Giardina to make it 7-2. It would be another 11 minutes before either team struck again, but a free position goal from sophomore Bella Goodwin broke the stalemate. Bernstein opened her tab on the day as well, this time on the receiving end of a pass from Shearer to make it 7-4. Meanwhile, Duke’s defense held the Blue Jays scoreless in the second quarter, giving the offense a chance to chip away at Johns Hopkins’ lead.
Heading into halftime, the comeback was officially on.
Less than a minute into the second half, the Blue Devils made a statement behind a goal from redshirt sophomore Eva Pronti to bring it to 7-5. However, the home squad quickly reclaimed their offensive success from the first quarter, scoring three goals to accumulate a 10-5 lead.
Redshirt sophomore Ava Biancardi began the Duke revival late in the third quarter, scoring her second tally of the season to kick off a four-goal Blue Devil rally. A free position goal from Bernstein — her second of the game — with less than two minutes to go in the third built up the momentum further.
With Duke fans on the edge of their seats heading into the final 15 minutes of regulation play, Bernstein increased the upset potential with yet another goal. Goodwin got in on the party, fighting her way through multiple defenders in the 8-meter arc to complete her own hat trick. Senior Annie Marshall scored Johns Hopkins’ lone goal of the quarter, cashing in on a free position opportunity, but Bernstein responded four minutes later with a rocket past Giardina.
Blue Devil hopes were high, but ultimately it was not enough to complete the road comeback. Duke will look to shake off its loss against defending national champions Boston College on the road Saturday in its ACC opener.
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Mackenzie Sheehy is a Trinity junior and associate editor for The Chronicle's 120th volume.