After a sometimes disappointing first half of the season, the Duke women's soccer team could have given up.
But don't tell that to the Blue Devils, who hosted this weekend's Duke Women's Soccer Classic. They came in with a chance to improve their NCAA tournament hopes with games against two ranked teams, and show they are still a force to be reckoned with.
Duke opened the tournament on Friday night against No. 12 William & Mary. With 3:00 to go and the game tied 1-1, Blue Devil forward Andi Melde streaked up the middle of the field through the Tribe defense and fired the ball into the corner of the net. Duke held off William & Mary in the final three minutes for the 2-1 win.
"I think we got a break tonight, a break we hadn't gotten all year long by hanging in there and finally getting the game winner," Blue Devil coach Bill Hempen said. "You want that game. For me, that wasn't the prettiest soccer game I've ever seen, but I think both teams just stayed at it and we got the break."
The Tribe's Missy Wycinsky started the scoring 15:07 into the first half, heading the ball over the outstretched arms of Duke goalie Dana Piper. The Blue Devils came right back, though, as Mandy Manzanares tipped in a goal 40 seconds later. The game became a back and forth contest, with neither team able to convert their opportunities. Just over 17 minutes into the second half, Duke forward Kim Reynolds kicked the ball off the goal line, preserving the tie and the Blue Devils' chances of victory.
"It was a big win coming off the way the season has been," Piper said. "It was a turnaround against a higher-ranked team and so it says that we're ready to play."
But Duke's celebration after the victory over William & Mary couldn't last long, as it would face Notre Dame less than 24 hours later. The defending national champion Fighting Irish came into the weekend ranked second in the nation, winners of 21 straight, including a 10-0 record this season over which they outscored opponents 58-5.
In Friday night's first game, Notre Dame defeated then-No. 1 North Carolina 2-1 in overtime. While the Fighting Irish were coming off a long, emotional game, Melde, who would be named the Blue Devils' MVP for the tournament, stressed that Duke couldn't expect a let-down Saturday night from a championship team like Notre Dame.
The two teams fought to a scoreless tie in the first half, though both had their chances. The Blue Devils best shot came about 22 minutes into the game, when they had three consecutive corners and then a free kick outside the box, but couldn't capitalize. The Fighting Irish soon began to put the pressure on, as several great saves by Piper, who had seven overall, and sliding tackles by Duke fullbacks Samantha Baggett and Lauren Cyran kept Notre Dame off the scoreboard.
The Fighting Irish, who had 15 shots to the Blue Devils' five, continued to attack in the second half. A direct kick struck the crossbar, and another shot had to be deflected at the goal line by a Duke defender. Finally, after a diving save by Piper led to a corner, Notre Dame's Monica Gerardo put the ball in the net with 32:45 remaining, assisted by Cindy Daws and Holly Manthei. With 15:32 left Jenny Streiffer gave the Fighting Irish an insurance goal, also off a corner kick, the assists once again going to Daws and Manthei.
"Defending is an attitude," Hempen said. "If we attack each ball with the same passion as the one before, then we don't give up a goal like a corner kick. That's unfortunate and it's a concentration thing. We're still trying to put a full 90 [minutes] together and it just happened to be a wrong time to unplug."
As the Blue Devils start off their final stretch of the season in pursuit of an NCAA tournament berth, Hempen said he doesn't want to place too much importance on any one game. Duke has eight contests remaining, and most of them are against ranked teams. But Hempen added that he knows his players won't lose heart, as they've battled through a tumultuous season.
"Nothing has changed as far as their attitude toward training, their attitude toward the game," Hempen said. "They've stayed at an even keel when they could have a long time ago turned on each other."
Hempen credited the play of his defense for its steadying influence; two fullbacks, Cyran and freshman Liz Speights, along with Manzanares, were named to the All-Tournament team. Duke will continue its push for the NCAAs at home against N.C. State on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.