It's not how you get it done, it's just the getting it done that counts.
The No. 7 women's soccer team (11-2) fought its way past UNC-Greensboro to pull out a 2-0 home win on Tuesday night.
"We've played better games," Duke coach Bill Hempen said. "But this team is just finding ways to win. We had a couple of chances on free kicks and we finished them."
Senior forward Samantha Baggett got the Blue Devils on track for the win, blasting a feed from senior forward Andi Melde into the upper right corner of the net at 31:25.
Baggett, who normally plays defense, started as a striker to replace sophomore midfielder Sherrill Kester, who sat out Tuesday's contest with a stress fracture on the top of her foot. Freshman defender Stefanie Kraay stepped up in the starting lineup to fill the vacancy left by Baggett in back.
With its front line depleted by the injuries to Kester and sophomore forward Emily Feeney, who had been Duke's top scorers in the first half of the season, Duke had to rely even more heavily on its defense. The defensive unit of Kraay and seniors Lauren Cyran and Amanda Remy were instrumental in earning the Blue Devils their sixth-straight win and eighth shutout of the season. Baggett noted that Remy, who saw little playing time last year, has made a smooth transition from benchwarmer to starter.
"Amanda's had a string of fantastic wins," Baggett said. "She's been marking some of the best forwards in the country, and a lot of the credit for how well we've done this season goes to her."
While the Duke offense may be diminished, it would not be silenced. Melde wrapped up the win, driving the ball home just over six minutes into the second stanza. With four goals and 10 assists for 18 points, the tri-captain has taken over the Blue Devils' scoring lead.
"Andi's the ultimate senior warrior," Hempen said. "She's limping, but she'll never come off the field. She'd have to lose a limb before she comes off the field."
For only the second time this season, Duke played with only one keeper-freshman Isis Dallis-in goal throughout the entire matchup. Previously, Dallis had split time with junior Dana Piper, but Hempen pronounced Dallis the probable starter for the rest of the season.
Tuesday's tussle with the Spartans saw yet another Blue Devil fall. With 10:47 remaining in the game, UNC-G forward Kelly Merriss tripped Kraay, taking her down. Kraay sprained her left ankle, which had been injured during the preseason. Freshman defender Snow Brenner replaced her on the field and will probably start in Friday's battle with Maryland.
Kraay's status is questionable for Friday. Kester will be out until early November, and Feeney, who has a strained MCL, won't see action until next weekend. Add in the Duke players lost for the season with injuries-senior Kari Juncker and sophomores Liz Speights and Kim Daws-and the Blue Devils are one stumble away from disaster. Fortunately for Duke, its remaining healthy players have responded to the adversity.
"We're definitely all 90 minutes fit, whether it's by choice or by force," Baggett said. "And our bench has done a great job of stepping up when they need to. Hopefully we can continue playing like this for the rest of the season."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.