The women's soccer team needed a goal, and Kasey Truman was there.
Faced with the worst start in school history and an ACC-low 1.22 goals-per-game average, the Blue Devils (5-5) might have forgotten what scoring felt like.
But against 1-6 San Francisco, Duke figured to rediscover that old familiar feeling Sunday in the finale of the Duke/adidas Women's Soccer Classic.
The result, a 3-1 victory sparked by Truman's first goal of the year, was refreshing, if not wholly reassuring, for the struggling Blue Devils.
"I was hoping it would be easier than this," coach Bill Hempen said with a somewhat-relieved sigh. "But after five games in [nine] days we were running on fumes out there."
Sunday's win helped erase the anguish caused by a shocking 4-0 loss to mediocre Baylor (6-3) on Friday.
"We needed some momentum, and we got it," forward Emily Feeney said. "Friday night is gone. It's done, and we can't do anything about it."
Duke, which has averaged 13 wins a year in the ten-year history of the program, used a goal and an assist from Feeney to avoid dropping below .500 for the second time this year, and only the fourth time ever.
"I've told the team, and my coaches agree, that this is as good a team as any I've had, player for player," Hempen said. "This team just hasn't learned to click together [yet], and that may be the thing that's holding us back."
Feeney's game-winner came just before halftime, when the junior collected a short chip pass from Liz Speights and beat USF keeper Amy Voiland with a shot from 12 yards.
The goal gave Duke a 2-1 lead that would stand up.
"I just brought it down and saw a slot between a couple of defenders and tucked it away," Feeney said. "It wasn't really powerful or anything."
The most important strike may have come earlier in the half, when the opportunistic Truman pounced on a cross from Kristy Whelchel and buried it, ending Duke's goal-scoring drought at 103 minutes.
"I think that first goal was the key... just getting us knowing that we could put the ball in the net," Feeney said. "Every time we seemed to be pushing and pushing and just couldn't put one in."
In Sunday's other game, No. 1 North Carolina extended its unbeaten streak to 54 matches, dusting off Baylor 5-0 to claim the Classic's championship trophy.
UNC's All-America forward Cindy Parlow notched her second and third goals of the tournament to earn the MVP trophy, while teammates Laurie Schwoy, Rebekah McDowell and Lindsay Stoecker joined her on the All-Tournament Team.
For Duke, no player was more valuable than Truman, whose goal may have put Duke's battered offense back on track.
"Losing is as much an emotional drain as a physical one," Hempen explained. "When you have [disappointing results] back to back to back like we did this week, it's a strain on anybody."
Friday's loss was an exercise in futility for the Blue Devils, who squandered a handful of scoring opportunities and saw their defense go to pieces in the second half.
Magnifying the mistakes were sluggish performances in net by Duke keepers Isis Dallis and Dana Piper. Dallis, who played all 90 minutes in Sunday's win, has returned to form slowly after a preseason knee injury.
"She's not 'played in' right now, and we're doing everything we can to help boost her confidence," Hempen said. "Confidence is such a factor and when you lose it, you wonder if you'll ever get it back.
"It's very similar to what Sherrill Kester went through [earlier this season]. When she was finally allowed to play, she expected to be her old self right away and when she wasn't, her confidence went down."
Kester, meanwhile, seems to have made it back. She scored Duke's final goal Sunday, drilling a right-footed shot past Voiland in the 59th minute.
Kester started the play with a sparkling run through three USF defenders, played the ball off to Feeney and got it back in time to shoot. It was her 18th career goal, leaving her three goals behind Whelchel for tops among current Blue Devils.
Duke, which travels to California for the Santa Clara/Nike Classic next weekend, will take a much-needed two-day breather before resuming practice. That, coupled with another day off for travel, should help the Blue Devils regain their legs before next Sunday's matchup with No. 2 Santa Clara (7-0).
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.