If collegiate soccer games ended in ties after regulation, the women's soccer team would be undefeated.
Unfortunately, they don't, and for the second straight weekend, No. 11 Duke lost to a highly-ranked opponent in extra time. Last weekend, the foe was Southern Methodist University. On Sunday, it was No. 4 Portland who beat the Blue Devils 2-1 in overtime.
Still, Duke head coach Bill Hempen was proud of his team's effort both in Sunday's game and in Saturday's 2-0 win over Washington.
"This was certainly our best weekend of the year, no question," Hempen said. "We're better now than we were last weekend, and that's our goal. We set the schedule up like this to challenge [the team] early. They've certainly been challenged.
"They've lost to two outstanding teams on the road in overtime during the first three weeks of the season. Certainly, our kids see what they have to strive for."
On Sunday, the Blue Devils had to battle not only a highly-touted opponent, but also a tough crowd. A crowd of 2,948 pumped-up Portland fans packed Merlo Field to cheer their Pilots. By the time the game was over, the Blue Devils had won the respect of the crowd.
In a moment rarely seen in soccer, the Portland fans applauded the Blue Devils as they left the field.
The Pilots struck first, taking a 1-0 lead at the 20-minute mark of the first half. Kim Engesser took a pass from Justi Baumgardt and pushed it past Duke goalie Melissa Carr. The score remained that way until the second stanza, when Kelly Walbert connected on a penalty kick in the 53rd minute.
Walbert nearly prevented the game from going into overtime at the 72-minute mark, when she had a shot fly off the goal post.
Portland won the game on what Hempen described as "once in a lifetime shot." With only a few seconds left in the first overtime period, Wynne McIntosh, the NCAA's leading goal scorer, lofted a shot over Carr's head into the upper left corner of the goal.
Even though Carr surrendered that final goal, she earned defensive player of the tournament honors for netting 11 saves this weekend. The Blue Devil defense was also strengthened with the return of sophomore Samantha Baggett. She had been sidelined by mononucleosis for the team's first six games, but her presence was immediately felt this weekend.
The defense was especially impressive in Saturday's game. Senior Cara Lyons dominated play, holding the Huskies' top player in check, as the Blue Devils remained in control the entire game.
"It was a real blue-collar effort against Washington," Hempen said. "I don't think we were in any danger of getting scored on. Washington just didn't have enough."
Duke scored both of its goals in the first half, with the sophomore tandem of Andi Meldi and Kari Junker each successfully getting the ball in. Meldi's goal came within the first five minutes of the game, off a shot from the top of the penalty box.
The game would remain at 1-0 for most of the half. With under a minute left in the first stanza, Junker took a pass from senior Cara Lyons and headed in Duke's second goal.
Even though the loss to Portland will most likely drop Duke in the rankings, Hempen isn't worried about his team. He's just concerned about getting them prepared for the NCAA tournament, and there's no better way to do that than facing the top teams in the nation.
"I don't know if we're going to see a better opponent at this point in the season than we saw at Portland on Sunday," Hempen said. "I'm really proud of [the team]."
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