Expectations were high for Duke as it entered the NCAA tournament as the top seed for the first time in program history.
And despite a slow start, the Blue Devils cruised into the quarterfinals to give themselves a chance to advance to a second straight Final Four Sunday.
No. 1 seed Duke knocked off American 3-0 victory at Jack Katz Stadium Saturday afternoon, going ahead late in the first half then adding two more tallies to win convincingly. The first half was anything but smooth sailing for the Blue Devils, though, as the Eagles earned two early penalty corners and even had a goal taken off the board by the referees.
“I thought we came out a little bit jittery to be honest, “ Duke head coach Pam Bustin said. “We worked our way into the game, and sustained a lot of pressure and took a lot from them. I thought they played a great defensive game that really challenged us and made us a bit sharper. “
The first 34 minutes of play were marked by uncharacteristic errors from the Blue Devils (16-3). Duke generated 12 shots but was unable to convert, even losing some opportunities when passes went awry thanks to American's defensive tenacity. But the Blue Devil defense stonewalled the Eagles—holding them without a shot in the first half—to give the offense even more chances to capitalize.
Between defensive captains Alyssa Chillano and Sarah Furey, Duke held American (14-7) to just two shots for the entire game and left very little for goalkeeper Sammi Steele to clean up. Steele only had to make one save, and Chillano, a first-team All-ACC honoree, not only directed the back line but contributed in the midfield and on penalty corner opportunities as usual.
After dominating the first half, the Blue Devils were the first to break through in the final minute of the period. Off a penalty corner, junior Ashley Kristen fed sophomore Rose Tynan, who drove a deflected shot in past American goalkeeper Maura Jacobs, just tapping it past Jacobs’ extended glove.
“We talk about tournament time, and things get crazy,” Furey said. “Being able to get that one goal at the end of the half is just a great momentum shift for us to go into halftime. I think we brought that well into the second half too.”
Once the two teams came back from the break, it was all Duke.
Jacobs was the only thing standing between the Blue Devils and an even bigger blowout, as the freshman made 11 saves to deny Duke an early, decisive victory. At one point, Jacobs found herself one-on-one with Blue Devil senior Heather Morris, and deflected a hard shot with a deft movement of her glove.
But Duke kept dominating possession and doubled its lead in the 45th minute. After drawing one of the team’s 11 penalty corners, graduate transfer and All-ACC second team forward Aisling Naughton found a rebounded shot and slipped it past the outstretched arms of the New Cumberland, Pa., native.
Despite the defense doing its job and the offense nursing a 2-0 lead, Duke continued to go on the attack, controlling possession until nearly the end of the game. In the 68th minute, Chillano took a deflected shot and ripped one into the corner of the goal, leaving Jacobs with no chance and earning the junior her team-leading 12th goal of the season.
With the win, the Blue Devils advanced to Sunday's quarterfinals, when they will host Delaware at 2 p.m. with a second straight Final Four berth on the line.
“We always have an attacking mindset,” Chillano said. “Throughout the whole game. When we’re attacking, and we have the ball, and even when we don’t have the ball, we have the attacking mindset to go get the ball back and work together as a team.”
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