The third-ranked Duke women's lacrosse team traveled to Chapel Hill Wednesday night, and for 44 minutes of the game the team controlled the top-ranked Tar Heels. But North Carolina (9-0, 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) used a 5-0 run in the final 16 minutes to defeat the Blue Devils by a score of 9-6.
Duke (7-2, 1-1 in the ACC) led by a 4-3 margin after a brilliant first half, but UNC All-American Erin McGinnis took over in the final minutes, scoring four of the Tar Heels' last six goals.
"She has a nose for the goal," Duke coach Kerstin Kimel said. "She just goes to the goal and doesn't stop.... I still think we played her really well. She had the ball a lot, and Carolina looked to her to go to the goal.... She's a great player."
Duke's staunch defense highlighted its performance in the first three-fourths of the game. Sophomore Shannon Chaney had a Dominik Hasek-like performance in goal, making 12 saves, many of which were at point-blank range.
"Shannon Chaney has done a fabulous job for us this spring," Kimel said. "She anticipated things well, and she came out of the cage well."
The rest of the defense did a solid job containing an explosive UNC attack. The Tar Heels were held five goals below their season average of 14 and only found the back of the net once in the first 25 minutes.
"[UNC] is all about scoring and offense," Kimel said. "I could not be happier with the defensive effort we gave tonight."
Sophomore Tricia Martin gave Duke a 1-0 lead with 23:23 left in the opening half on her first of three goals. The Tar Heels answered with a with a score minutes later, but the Blue Devils netted the next two for a 3-1 lead with 7:41 left in the first stanza.
After UNC tied the score at 3-3, Martin scored on a free position shot with just 34 seconds remaining in the half. The 4-3 halftime deficit was the first time the Tar Heels had trailed at intermission all season.
The second half started well for Duke as the Blue Devils received goals from sophomore Keri Dunn and Martin to open a 6-4 lead with only 16:56 left to play. From this point on, however, the Blue Devils would not find the back of the net for the rest of the game.
McGinnis scored two consecutive goals to tie the score at 6-6 with 11:28 remaining. For the next five minutes the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels battled for possession with neither team getting any good looks at the net.
But with 6:02 to play, Carolina took its first lead on McGinnis' third-straight goal and never looked back. It later added two insurance goals for the 9-6 final.
Duke executed its game plan to perfection for most of the game, but mistakes late in the second half cost it. The Blue Devils committed nine turnovers in the second half, compared to only five by the Tar Heels.
"We didn't do a good job of taking care of the ball," Kimel said. "In transition we couldn't get the ball up the field. Once we got it down here, we weren't as disciplined on offense as we needed to be, but we're still a young team."
Although the game goes down as a loss, the Blue Devils showed they can play with anyone in the country. In a game with such high intensity, Duke did not allow itself to be intimidated by the Tar Heels.
"I was so pleased with the effort level and the intensity," Kimel said. "They came out ready to play, and for a young team, I think that's the biggest challenge.... I don't think we lost emotional or mental battle; I think we lost the decision battle."
Despite the loss, Duke gained valuable experience in a game with a tournament-like atmosphere. The Blue Devils showed no fear of the Tar Heels but were beaten by a team full of experienced All-Americans.
Duke will return to action Sunday when it hosts No. 10 William and Mary.
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