Spring has officially sprung down in Koskinen Stadium. The sun stayed out long enough to light the matchup between Cal and No. 13 Duke women’s lacrosse.
But spring is not the only thing that has sprung, or blossomed on campus. The Blue Devils sprung into action to secure an impressive 13-4 win over Cal Friday evening.
Head coach Kirsten Kimel called it a “Great defensive effort from our team.”
Cal struck early in the first period. The first goal was scored by Golden Bear Ashleigh Masterson in a direct faceoff between her and Duke keeper Kennedy Everson. Although the Blue Devils looked to score to match Cal’s fierce offense, it seemed as if they needed a key to break through Golden Bear defense.
“We haven't played against a lot of man-to-man defenses and I think that showed on our offense,” Kimel said.
The Blue Devils (7-3, 3-2 in the ACC) began their blossoming as Eva Pronti showed clear energy and persistence to find an opening lane in Cal's defense. At first, Pronti tried to enter from the left side of the crease, going head-to-head with a Cal player. When that failed, Pronti put herself in the middle of the crease. This time she was able to successfully receive an assist from Bella Goodwin to score Duke’s first goal of the game.
“Our offense was a little stagnant but we got better as the game went on,” Kimel said.
Keeping with the confidence gained from her first goal, Pronti looked for another window in which to score, this time finding Callie Hem to cut to the goal and propel the ball to the back of Cal’s net. Pronti is currently ranked 4th in ACC assists per game, averaging 2.56.
Hem also didn’t stop after her first goal. At the opening of the second period, the Blue Devils switched it up from the start of the game and decided to take the liberty of scoring the first goal of the period. Hem took this role, notching her 30th goal of the season.
As time progressed in the second period, Duke experienced a scoring drought for a few minutes, as Bella Goodwin’s shot on goal was the closest the home team got. With no surprise, though, Hem ended the drought and secured a hat trick off of an assist from Mattie Shearer.
The Blue Devils entered the second half up 5-3. An early save by Duke keeper Kennedy Everson — her ninth of the game — preserved the lead.
Everson set the tone for the third period: Duke was dominating. Attackers Caitlin Barett and Maddie MacDonald stepped up to each score a goal for the Blue Devils. Both capitalized on an open window as an opportunity to drive to the center of the goal and score. This was Barrett's sixth goal of the season and MacDonald's seventh.
Cal’s defense looked weaker in the third period — or maybe Duke figured out how to seep into its defensive wall. Goodwin scored her 28th goal of the season with 4:50 left in the third quarter. Cal (4-6, 0-5 in the ACC), in possession in the final minute of the period, looked to score. Defenders Reilly Traynor, Mabel Overbeck and Sydney Smith tried to stop any progress Cal attackers made towards the net. With a quick falter, Cal player Emily Moes found an opening in the left side of the net, closing the gap to an 8-4 Duke lead.
But in the fourth quarter, Duke’s defense completely shut out Cal from scoring.
Then in the fashion of spring, freshman Mabel Overbeck sprung into action for her first career goal.
“For her to get her first goal out here, it was pretty great,” Kimel said.
The Garden City, N.Y., native capitalized on a weak opening in the Cal defense and drove to the goal. Fellow Long Island native Ava Biacardi took notes from her hometown teammate and notched not one, but two goals for herself in a span of less than a minute.
The home team secured Kimel’s 357th win Friday evening in Koskinen Stadium. Duke will look for her 358th against East Carolina Tuesday at 5 p.m., still at home.
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