It was a somber end to a stellar season, and if not for a few millimeters here and there, some slight swings of luck and the deathly kiss of the post, it could have been different.
The Blue Devils' season ends after its loss against the Bluejays with a spot as one of the tournament's final four teams on the line.
Though the Panthers brought their best, the Blue Devils, supported by their strong defensive performance and a goal from senior Scotty Taylor in the dying minutes of the first half, hung on to beat FIU with their fifth 1-0 win of the season.
The Blue Devils’ dream of a national championship was cut short Friday night in overtime with a 3-2 loss to No. 1-seed Alabama in the Elite Eight.
Over the course of 90 minutes, one old adage seemed to ring true for Duke: Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.
In defeating South Carolina 2-1 in the third round of the NCAA tournament, the Blue Devils advanced to the Elite Eight.
Like the fans of Ecuador, the Blue Devil faithful celebrated as No. 7-seed Duke took down Denver in a second-round matchup that paired two of the top defenses in the country.
The Blue Devils adjusted their tactics to control possession in their attacking half and fire a barrage of shots in the win against the Longhorns.
It took 20 shots for Duke to get on the board against Texas. And now, it has still been more than 20 years since the Longhorns last emerged victorious against the Blue Devils.
In their first-round NCAA tournament contest against the No. 2-seed Blue Devils, the Highlanders tried to shut down Duke's best players, albeit with a more unconventional approach. Radford man-marked the Blue Devils' front five players, which includes the three forwards and two wingbacks, for the entire 90 minutes of Duke's 4-0 victory Saturday evening.
No. 2-seed Duke beat Radford 4-0 at Koskinen Stadium to open the 2022 NCAA tournament, its seventh NCAA win by at least four goals in its last 10 postseasons.
Now entering the NCAA tournament in her sophomore season, Cooper has only continued to shine for Duke and is consistently named among the nation’s top players.
To get back to the College Cup, Duke will have to prove that collegiate soccer still runs through the state of North Carolina.
It has been a historic season for the Blue Devils, and four of their stars just made history of their own.
When they were tested with an unstoppable force dead-set on launching the ball—14 times, to be exact—into the net from close and afar, their greatest strength became their ultimate Achilles heel.
Sunday evening at Koskinen Stadium, a Blue Devil team that earned its top seed via an impenetrable defense met a Clemson team that earned a national championship a year ago via an unwavering offensive attack.
With a first-round bye, the Blue Devils had two possibilities for their first opponent of the ACC tournament: the defending ACC champion or the defending national champion.
Among the lively atmosphere Thursday were two high-energy teams displaying a cinematic performance on the field, both sides proving they were worthy of a ticket to the conference championship game.
Even a Blue Devil team that seemed to have been possessed by a higher power for two hours could not overcome the inevitability of North Carolina women’s soccer.
The ACC announced its end-of-season awards Wednesday, and for the second year in a row, Blue Devils have won the highest awards from the nation’s best conference.
