The women's soccer team had experienced a little bit of everything in its wild ride this season, from controversial losses to stirring victories. But Sunday in Lincoln, Ne., Duke got its first taste of something a bit more unexpected: snow.
And the results were downright icy.
The fifth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers remained the only perfect team in the country with a 3-0 victory over the Blue Devils in arctic conditions. Nebraska improved to 23-0 on the season while the Blue Devils finished a bizarre campaign with a 10-10-3 record.
Becky Hogan scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal just 6:37 into the game off an assist from Lindsay Eddleman. The score remained 1-0 throughout the first half as both teams struggled to establish offensive control on a frozen field at the Abbott Sports Complex.
Winds gusting up to 20 m.p.h. and temperatures hovering around 15 degrees helped put a deep freeze on Duke's playoff dreams as the Cornhuskers advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament. Nebraska will travel to Portland (18-0-2) Sunday for a showdown of the only two unbeaten teams in college soccer.
Meanwhile, Duke was left to ponder snowy conditions that proved to be something less than a winter wonderland.
"It was unbelievable," Duke coach Bill Hempen said. "[Those were] the worst conditions any of our teams have ever had to play in. We thought [midfielder] Kari Juncker had frostbite at halftime."
Nonetheless, the Blue Devils felt comfortable starting the second half with just a one-goal deficit and the wind at their backs.
"[Goalkeeper] Dana Piper was awesome to keep us within one," Hempen said. "She may have saved her best game for the last game of the year."
Piper made five saves on the day, but her strong performance was not enough. In the second half, Nebraska once again scored in the first seven minutes to make the score 2-0. Jenny Benson was credited with the goal, firing a free kick which deflected off of Duke's Kim Daws into the Blue Devil net.
Eddleman added Nebraska's final goal in the 84th minute, but not before a bit of controversy heated things up for at least a moment.
Duke forward Andi Melde received a red card for arguing with the official after an apparent Duke goal was not awarded. Husker keeper Becky Hornbacher saved the shot, which Melde believed had completely crossed the goal line. Melde was ejected, leaving Duke to play the final 12 minutes short-handed.
Hornbacher recorded 10 saves on the day as Nebraska tallied its 14th shutout of the season. The Huskers benefited from a brave home crowd of 1,038 hearty fans, despite the harsh weather.
"That's the proudest I've been of any team or any game we've had here," Nebraska coach John Walker said. "Because of all the conditions and how we just battled and just found a way to win."
Duke outshot Nebraska 17-11 on the day, continuing a frustrating season-long trend. Melde alone accounted for six shots before her ejection, but Duke never found the net.
"That's the way it's gone all season," Hempen said.
Sunday's loss closed the book on a season that Hempen had previously called "the most unlucky" of his nine at Duke. Squandered opportunities and bad breaks turned several apparent victories into heart-breaking losses, as Duke bounced in and out of the top 20 all season long. Ranked No. 6 to start the year, the Blue Devils struggled through a series of ups and downs before narrowly earning an NCAA tournament birth.
The Blue Devils knocked off Virginia in the first round to earn their trip to Nebraska. But Duke was unable to avenge a September loss to the physical Huskers, who continue a dream run in just their third year of existence.
"Nebraska has a great team, and I think they have what it takes to beat Portland," Hempen said. "We wish them all the luck."
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