Even without three of its best players, Duke once again looked like a team that is hitting its stride in the heart of the ACC schedule.
The No. 10 Blue Devils easily dispatched Syracuse 4-0 at Koskinen Stadium Sunday for their third consecutive shutout, marking the first time Duke has ever netted four goals in consecutive ACC games. Senior Toni Payne and freshman Ella Stevens each scored two goals for the Blue Devils, who outshot an overmatched Orange squad 19-2.
“We couldn’t have drawn it up any better,” Duke head coach Robbie Church said. “We came out early very, very aggressive. We had a great mentality, how we pressured them early and how we kept pressure all the way through.”
The Blue Devils (8-2-2, 3-0-1 in the ACC) have been without Olympian Rebecca Quinn and sophomore Kayla McCoy recently due to injury, but a third Duke star was out of the lineup Sunday. Sophomore Taylor Racioppi missed the game with a lower leg injury, leaving the Blue Devils without a trio that had combined for seven goals and seven assists so far this season.
But someone forgot to tell the Blue Devils who they were missing.
As in its previous game, a 4-0 rout of then-No. 19 Virginia Tech, Duke seamlessly executed its game plan of gaining possession in the middle of the field, setting up crosses from the outside and finishing with short-range goals.
“We’ve lost some people here and now, we can’t make up for it by just putting in other people,” Church said. “We’ve got to make up for it by playing as a team and playing together. I really like where we are right now.”
Payne led the charge early for the Blue Devils, tapping in the team’s second-quickest goal of the season barely five minutes into the contest to give Duke the early momentum.
Senior Christina Gibbons fed her classmate from the right side of the field, and Payne fought around a defender to deliver a five-yard strike for her fourth goal of the season.
“It definitely calmed us down a little bit,” Payne said. “We didn’t have to chase the game as much, and that propelled us forward for the rest of the game.”
The Birmingham, Ala., native’s second tally put the Blue Devils up 2-0 early in the second half after freshman Mia Gyau dribbled into the attacking third then found Stevens near the top of the penalty box. Stevens then quickly flicked the ball back to Payne, who fired a shot into the bottom right corner of the net.
Duke’s offensive success rubbed off on its defense, as the Blue Devils did not allow the Orange (7-4-2, 0-3-1) to take a shot in the first half. Although Duke entered the game ranked 78th nationally in goals against average, the Blue Devils easily notched their third straight shutout, with goalkeeper E.J. Proctor only needing to make one save.
“One of the things we talked about after the Boston College game [Sept. 17] is that we can’t give up so many goals,” Church said. “And then we haven’t given up goals in [three] games. They’re playing great.”
Stevens got into the scoring action in the 60th minute on a beautiful piece of footwork, switching to her left foot after receiving an outlet pass from Gibbons on the right side of the field to drive the ball into the back of the net.
The Grayson, Ga., native scored her second goal 10 minutes later to give Duke a 4-0 lead and become the team’s leader in goals scored with six. On a free kick, junior Ashton Miller floated a pass inside the box that Stevens headed toward the net. Syracuse goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan saved the header, but could not secure the ball, allowing Stevens to follow her shot and tap it in for a second goal.
The Blue Devils continued dominating possession to close out the rout, which was also Duke’s annual “Pink Game.” The Blue Devils donned pink threads that were auctioned off after the game to benefit the Duke Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program.
Church’s team will look to stay hot this week with road tilts at Wake Forest and N.C. State.
“It’s one of my favorite days to play the Pink Game,” Church said. “It stands for so much more than just the program we’re in. We have such quality people and they understand that it stands for a lot, and they thought about that, and they knew it. The Pink Game is very special, and we’ve played very well in Pink Games before.”
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.