Seventeen draw controls. Fifteen points. A seven-goal run. Two hat tricks. Zero losses at home. This was a game of numbers.
No. 12 Duke met Virginia Tech at home in Koskinen Stadium for a 15-6 ACC victory Saturday afternoon. Eight different athletes found their shots clearing the net, with four goals from senior Carly Bernstein and a hat trick from sophomore Bella Goodwin.
“I just think our mindset coming into this game was outstanding,” head coach Kerstin Kimel said. “I thought our girls came ready to go. They know where we are in our season.”
Following a close 14-13 victory over East Carolina, Duke’s defense was the focus of the match. With memories of a six-goal fourth-period run by the Pirates still fresh, the Blue Devils (9-3, 4-2 in the ACC) fought hard to keep the Hokies (7-6, 2-4 in the ACC) away from the net. The secret to their success? Never letting Virginia Tech earn possession of the ball.
“I feel as though we executed our game plan on offense as well as on defense. And I think our draw circle made a big difference today,” Kimel said.
The Blue Devils have struggled at the draw circle the past few seasons after the departure of the record-breaking Jenner sisters. As a result, they often struggle to gain early-game momentum. Against the Hokies, however, senior Kerry Nease was queen of the circle. With six draw controls from Nease and four by Ellie White, Duke never struggled to find possession, and won 17 total draws to Virginia Tech's seven.
Early game momentum was another instrumental piece to the dominant conference win. The Blue Devils held Virginia Tech to an almost scoreless first period, while earning seven goals of their own. Once Bernstein scored the first goal of the game, the floodgates were opened. Within the span of 10 minutes, Bernstein — joined by Goodwin, sophomore Caitlin Barrett, freshman Sadie Stafford and red-shirt sophomore Eva Pronti — earned Duke a seven-point advantage over the Hokies.
“A huge focus for us is playing as a unit and playing as a team, and not caring about who's scoring and just running our offense, and that there are plenty of opportunities within our systems for everybody to score,” said Kimel. “And I love that about our team.”
While the first period was an offensive masterclass by the home team, the Hokies’ defense answered in the second. Virginia Tech keeper Aaliyah Jones was impenetrable, blocking seven shots on goal by the Blue Devils while Hokie offense scored two on Duke. But Bernstein’s free position shot and a goal by redshirt sophomore Ava Biancardi broke Duke’s scoreless streak late in the second period to make the score 9-3.
Consistent scoring and carefully-planned defense defined the second-half. Bernstein’s four goals and Goodwin’s three sat atop the box score, but neither played selfishly against Virginia Tech.
“Our kids have bought into that, and the big thing for them is they just want to win games,” Kimel said. “I don't think they care about who scores the goals.”
Even on the sidelines, spirits were high. During a play review in the second half, a number of spectators started clapping along to Whitney Houston and Kygo’s “Higher Love” piped in over the speakers. Biancardi and redshirt junior Tess Gagliano danced along to the song in high spirits, despite Saturday’s heat.
The Blue Devils look to stay undefeated at home as they take on No. 21 Brown for an April Fool’s Day matchup.
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