At the end of the year, this one might not look pretty but it will still count as a win .
The 13th-ranked field hockey team (10-7) jumped out to a 3-0 lead last night, only to watch as Appalachian State, far from a national power, rallied with a pair of goals.
Fortunately for the Blue Devils, they held on for a 3-2 win against the Mountaineers (5-12) at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
"I thought we didn't play as sharp as we did this past weekend," coach Liz Tchou said. "I think we took this team lightly. I didn't think we executed well."
Emily Ford, Corey Ceccolini and Jennelle Moore all scored goals in the first 20 minutes of the first half, and the game seemed well in hand for the Blue Devils.
Little did they know that they'd have to sweat out a close finish.
"I think we let down a little bit [after building the lead]," Tchou said. "We went to a different back system. We weren't strong in stopping the play."
Appalachian State mounted its comeback at the start of the second half as both goals were scored in the first nine minutes. To make matters worse, with the score already 3-2, goalkeeper Jenn Robb suffered a shoulder injury and had to be replaced by freshman Hallie Smith.
Smith wasn't tested too hard the rest of the way and Duke held on. The Blue Devils outshot the Mountaineers, 9-5, and held a 11-6 advantage on penalty corners.
Tchou admitted that the Blue Devils were experimenting with a few parts of their game, and that might have contributed to some of the inconsistency.
But with crucial games coming up this weekend against Virginia and Princeton, Duke knows it will have to turn up its level of play.
"We're just going to take one practice at a time," Tchou said. "We have a lot we want to do. We just have to really focus and not look ahead at all, working for the moment."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.