With the Blue Devils' postseason hopes in jeopardy, the squad overcame past struggles and fatigue from a tough eight-day stretch to capture its first overtime victory.
Duke rallied from a one-goal deficit to defeat Boston College 2-1 on senior day at Koskinen Stadium Sunday afternoon on a goal by Toni Payne just 1:20 into the overtime session. The match was the Blue Devils’ third contest in the last eight days, and after two straight losses to North Carolina and Virginia, Duke needed the victory against the Eagles to remain alive for an NCAA tournament bid.
“It just shows the kind of resilience that we have as players, ” senior Kelly Cobb said. “That we’re down one [to] nothing in a must-win, do-or-die type game and we’re able to come back and put it away.”
The win was also important for the mindsets of Duke’s starting freshmen, as they have been playing with a heightened sense of urgency with the season in the balance.
“With our four players that play so many minutes as freshmen, they want to do well for the seniors,” head coach Robbie Church said. “They know they play a big part…and there’s so much pressure on them.”
Church elected to start his seniors for their final home game in favor of many of the Blue Devils’ usual starters. Despite the emotional drive of senior day, the squad struggled in the early going.
Duke (8-8-1, 4-4-1 in the ACC) initially had few opportunities to threaten, as the Eagles controlled the pace of play. After the entrance of the routine starters, including freshmenAshton Miller and Imani Dorsey and sophomore Lizzy Raben, the Blue Devils’ backs were against the wall.
In the 21st minute, a defensive miscue allowed for a Boston College breakaway and two consecutive shots on goal. Duke goalkeeper Ali Kershner stopped Hayley Dowd’s first shot. After Dowd’s attempt off the ensuing rebound was blocked, Raben tried to clear the ball away from the goal line, but her attempt ricocheted off the goalpost into the net to give the Eagles (10-8, 3-6) a 1-0 advantage.
Throughout the rest of the first half, Duke’s inability to finish scoring opportunities—which had been an issue in previous matchups against Virginia and North Carolina—continued. None of the Blue Devils’ 11 shots were on goal.
“We had some opportunities early to really get a couple goals,” Church said. “We didn’t get it. We knocked it off some crossbars, some posts.”
A kick by sophomore midfielder Toni Payne hit the crossbar in the 25th minute, and freshman Morgan Reid’s strike on a give-and-go also sailed over the net.
At the end of the first half, Duke faced a one-goal deficit and went into the locker room focused on tightening up on offense and taking advantage of its opportunities..
The Blue Devils’ halftime adjustments were evident within the first 15 minutes of the second.
In the 58th minute, Miller sent a pass to Cobb, who quickly dribbled around the left corner of the goal and freed herself from two defenders with a sudden jab step, maintaining ball control the entire time. She then blasted a strike into the top right corner of the net to tie the game at 1-1.
The goal was Cobb’s 24th score in a Blue Devil uniform and fifth of the season.
“For her to get that tying goal, that was the tying goal we needed,” Church said "Obviously, it tied it up. But that was that energy goal that we really needed at that point.”
The rest of the second half involved back and forth action with little danger for both teams. At the end of regulation, the game remained tied at 1-1.
As soon as overtime started, the ineffective attacks late in the second half seemed an afterthought. Duke acquired possession and moved quickly into Eagles’ territory, and were he Blue Devils were awarded a corner kick just 1:20 into extra play.
Miller delivered an ideal corner to Payne, who found separation in the box. Payne sent a shot past Boston College goalkeeper Alex Johnson to claim the 2-1 victory for the Blue Devils.
“Ashton saw the space and I got a little bit of separation,” Payne said. “I just went for the volley and it ended up in the back of the net…we went out with the mentality that you have to go in [overtime] hard, you have to go in fast.”
The corner kick to Payne was a highlight of Miller’s pivotal role in the overtime victory. The Okemos, Mich., native had a career-high six shots and was a ball hawk everywhere on the field.
“I really challenged her and Imani [Dorsey] some at the end of the first half,” Church said. “They responded like champs. That showed me a lot of toughness in her. I thought she was big-time.”
The Blue Devils will now rest and prepare for a critical matchup in Tallahassee, Fla., Friday night against No. 2 Florida State. A win or tie against the Seminoles will be favorable for Duke’s chances to play in the NCAA tournament.
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