CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The women's lacrosse team knew that the odds were stacked against it in the inaugural Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament this weekend.
Three of the four teams in the competition were ranked in the top four nationally, while Duke was sporting a losing record.
And to make matters worse, their opening-round opponent-two-time defending national champion Maryland- hadn't lost a game since the Blue Devil team was playing at club status.
The No. 1 Terrapins (13-0) did not disappoint, as they dismantled Duke 14-4 on Saturday before capturing the ACC title with a 11-10 win Sunday over host Virginia.
Maryland, who came into its game against Duke with an NCAA-record 48-game winning streak, jumped out to an early lead on Saturday and cruised to the win over the second-year Blue Devils (5-8).
Junior Noelle Mitchell got the Terps' offense going just 3:29 into the game, as she took a feed from Cathy Nelson right in front of the Duke goal to quickly make the score 1-0.
The Blue Devils managed to hold Maryland in check for the next five minutes, but the Terps put together a 6-1 run over the next 10 minutes to put the game away.
Christie Jenkins and Sascha Newmarch led the rally with two goals each.
"We definitely got down [during Maryland's early run]," Duke coach Kirsten Kimel said. "It's hard not to when you get possession and you make a pass and it gets picked off, and when you try to create a scoring opportunity and Maryland's defense collapses on you and the ball is up and out quickly. That's their game plan-they like to get the ball up and down the field as quickly as they can, and if they have an opportunity in transition, they're going to take advantage of
But after Newmarch's second goal made the score 7-1 11:44 before halftime, the Blue Devils managed to shut out the powerful Terrapins for almost 15 minutes, until Terp senior Ginette Chelius streaked in to stretch Maryland's lead to 8-1 3:11 into the second half.
"It's difficult to try to get into your type of defensive game when you're playing the No. 1 team in the nation, that's that much of a powerhouse," Kimel said. "But when we stepped up and took some risks defensively that we knew we were capable of taking, and we weren't getting caught ball-watching and being awed by [Maryland's] skills, we were able to create some really great things."
However, the Terps were able to start another run in the beginning of the second half, as they used their speed to create scoring opportunities in transition.
One minute after Chelius's goal, Newmarch and Jenkins found themselves with only junior defender Heather Keeney between them and the goal, and Newmarch put home the shot to expand the margin to eight points.
Maryland's next goal was similar, as freshman Kristin Sommar came in all alone to score past Duke freshman goalie Shannon Chaney.
"Speed-wise, they're a much faster team than we are," Kimel said. "We needed to be able to pass the ball and we knew we needed to score because if we didn't, we knew they were going to pick our pocket and run straight back and look to go to the goal. It was tough for us. We don't have the speed in our program yet that we need to be able to run with a team like Maryland."
The Terrapins' offensive production was aided by the patience and selectivity that comes with the experience of winning two straight national championships.
"They're so strong and they take such good shots," Chaney said. "They're very selective with their shots-they don't just fling the ball at the goal. They have a purpose for everything they do. And when they want it bad enough, they go to goal and they capitalize on anything the defense gives them."
Duke's problems on defense were compounded by its lack of offensive production, as the Blue Devils attempted only 14 shots during the whole contest.
But the Duke offense came alive in the last 10 minutes, as it rattled off three straight goals to pull back within nine. Sophomore Meghan McLaughlin scored twice on free-position bounce shots from in front of the goal.
"Going in, as much as we tried to say, 'We're not playing Maryland. I'm playing my one girl,' it's still overpowering," McLaughlin said. "And I think at the beginning, I definitely let it take me out of my game, just knowing that [goalie Alex Kahoe] was so good.
"Before the game, we were drilled into our heads that [Kahoe] is good low and we've got to fake and shoot high. And towards the end, I just said she may be good low, but I'm a better shooter low and I scored both [goals] on low bounce shots."
That type of confidence and experience is about all that the Blue Devils were able to take out of their first-round semifinal exit. By playing Maryland even for brief periods, Duke was able to witness first-hand what it takes to become No. 1 and win championships.
"You just have to realize, individually, one-on-one, we're just as good [as Maryland], and we can go head-to-head with them," McLaughlin said. "And when we were successful [doing the little things], you get a lot of confidence knowing that you're doing it against the No. 1 team in the country."
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