It was a scenario that none of them had imagined.
The women's soccer team had its season end in heart-breaking fashion when the Blue Devils lost 2-1 in sudden death overtime to N.C. State on Saturday. Megan Jeidy's diving header for the Wolfpack ended the game after over 122 minutes of emotional, back-and-forth soccer.
The loss left Duke stunned as it departs from the NCAA tournament in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. Blue Devil players fell to their knees as Jeidy's header found its way into the lower left corner of the net just 2:15 into sudden death. Several of the players stayed on the ground for as long as five minutes in disbelief and despair.
"We never envisioned the tournament ending against them," senior goalie Melissa Carr said. "We might not have gone out there, initially, ready. But we didn't pay for [our slow start], and I think we were very fortunate. But I think we were definitely respecting N.C. State and playing well by the second half. So I don't think we overlooked them."
For the second time this season Duke fell to the Wolfpack by the score of 2-1. The loss left the Blue Devils crushed and head coach Bill Hempen at a loss for words.
"What can I say--you lose your best team ever, in a sudden-death game," Hempen said. "That's almost harder than going out and being outplayed because they obviously tried very hard. N.C. State is a difficult team to beat, and we obviously found that out this year."
It was the last game for the seniors, five of whom started against N.C. State. There is little doubt that any other Duke class has accomplished more. They have been to the NCAA finals, been to four consecutive NCAA tournaments, broken North Carolina's 101-game winning streak and won Duke's first ACC regular-season championship. But their careers end with an empty feeling in their stomachs.
"There's definitely a feeling of unfulfilled destiny," Carr said. "It's tough to end a career with your best friends. It's pretty tough and very disappointing to end your career a lot earlier than you expected to.
"It leaves me with an empty feeling. But reflecting back on my career, I think that as seniors we're proud of what we've accomplished with this program. It's tough to look back just yet because we didn't expect to have to do it so soon. But we're proud of what we've done. I think that this class has really taken this program a step higher than it was when we first came in, and we can be proud of that."
The game was physical throughout, but it did not affect the game's flow. The two teams took turn dominating play--one team would control the ball for 15 minutes or so and then it would go back to the other.
"The game was certainly a game of ebbs and flows," Hempen said. "Each team had opportunities in front of each other's goal, and periods of the game where one team would control play quite a bit. It was a good college soccer game. I think both teams went out trying to win, and State comes out on top."
The Wolfpack played with more intensity in the first half, but the Blue Devils managed to score 25 minutes into the game when freshman Kristy Whelchel headed a cross from senior Katherine Remy into the upper left corner of the net.
Leading 1-0 at halftime, Hempen lit into his team during the intermission. Duke responded immediately--playing tough, hustling to the ball and forcing N.C. State to rely almost exclusively on the counter-attack.
The Wolfpack did not wilt, however. It withstood Duke's adjustments and tied the game at one when Caroline Hall took a rebound off a free kick and from 22 yards out placed the ball in the upper right corner, just out of the reach of Carr.
The game lulled until the last 15 minutes of regulation, at which point the Blue Devils launched a full-force attack on the goal. But Duke's efforts were continually thwarted by the Wolfpack defense and the game went to the first overtime, which consisted of two 15-minute periods.
"I thought we were in danger of losing the game early, but then we kind of picked it up," Hempen said. We gave too many, if there is an unforced error in soccer, we gave up too many of those. We basically turned the ball over, not being tackled, but rather passing the ball away. We had too many of them, and that eventually became your undoing when you don't take care of the ball."
In the first overtime, Duke had even more opportunities. But the Blue Devils were still unable to score. At this point in the game, the Wolfpack was relying almost exclusively on counter-attacking.
N.C. State's best chance came with eight minutes left in the first overtime period. A free kick was headed out by Duke, but the ball came directly to Stacey Hampton. Hampton headed the ball in, but the goal was disallowed by the line judge, who ruled that Hampton had been offsides.
It was a dubious call that left N.C. State head coach Alvin Corneal scratching his head. Corneal felt that the referee could have overruled the line judge.
But the game remained scoreless and headed into another overtime, this one sudden death.
Less than a minute into it, Duke almost ended the game. Mandy Manzanares sent a cross from the left side through the box where Kari Juncker headed it toward the goal. But the ball careened off the top of the cross bar out of bounds.
Then less than two minutes later N.C. State intercepted a Duke clear, and the Wolfpack's Stephanie Sanders streaked down the wing on a counter-attack. Sanders crossed the ball to Jeidy, who deposited it in the goal.
"At the break before the second overtime we talked about chances, and in sudden death you have to take every chance you get," Jeidy said. "[The goal] was just one of those things where you have to take a chance and hope it goes in. I dove, fell--kind of. It was a little bit of both."
The goal left Duke stunned. At first, it looked like Carr had the ball played, but somehow the ball made it past her into the net.
"I saw her flick it, and I was in position, and I thought I had it," Carr said. "It was just another one of those things that can't be explained. The ball did something weird. Like I said, I thought I had it, I'm not sure if it took a weird bounce or had a strange spin on it or maybe I completely misjudged it."
Carr doesn't know and neither do any of the other Blue Devils. All they know is that the season is over, despite all of their efforts. Duke was never able to make everything click against the Wolfpack and the result was a 2-1 loss.
"There wasn't any real difference in the game," Carr said. "I think that it was meant for them to win. We hit the post a couple of times, and they just got the one that went in. Sometimes it just happens like that. There's nothing that can be explained--it's just one of those things."
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