From staff reports
The Duke women's soccer team visited Vanderbilt on Sunday with some new faces in its starting lineup, but left with the same results that had prompted the changes-a loss.
The Blue Devils, who lost 2-1 to fall to 6-7-1 on the season, began the game with freshman Shannon Chaney in goal in place of sophomore Dana Piper. Fellow freshmen midfielder Kim Daws and forward Emily Feeney also started, as did senior reserve fullback Sue Ameen.
Seniors Mandy Manzanares and co-captain Mandy Lehr, and sophomore Mariana Muiruri, all usually starters, came off the bench, as did freshmen Kim Hartshorne and Kim Cahill, meaning Duke had seven different first-year players on the field at one time or another.
With 19:19 remaining in the game, a free kick by the Commodores' Megan Wender ricocheted off the cross bar before landing just behind the goal line, giving Vanderbilt a 2-1 lead which the Blue Devils could not overcome.
The new Duke lineup could not shut down the Commodores early, as Vanderbilt's Chulanda Phipps scored just 2:50 into the game, assisted by Ginger Harrelson and Laura Koerner. Less then three minutes later, though, the Blue Devils' Kristy Whelchel evened the contest with an unassisted goal, her eighth of the season.
The Commodores outshot Duke 10-7, though the Blue Devils had two more corner kicks, which they couldn't capitalize on. Duke had twice as many fouls in the hard-fought game, 18 to Vanderbilt's nine.
The Blue Devils travel to Houston this weekend to face No. 7 Texas A&M on Friday and SMU on Saturday in the Texas Challenge.
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