With just over five minutes left in the first half Saturday, the field hockey team was on its way to upsetting the No. 2 team in the country and notching its first conference win.
But a hard shot from Michelle Vissuzo into the lower left corner of the goal stopped No. 13 Duke's momentum and decimated it's chances of beating Virginia on Senior Day at the East Campus Turf Field.
"I really, really thought we had them," said coach Liz Tchou. "When they scored with five minutes left [in the first half], that was a killer."
Duke (10-8, 0-4 in the ACC) took a 1-0 lead 20 minutes into the first half, when Mary Jo Reider sent in a straight shot off of a penalty corner.
The Cavaliers (15-3, 4-0) nearly tied the game five minutes later on a penalty corner of their own when a Virginia player fired a hard shot past goalie Jenn Robb that landed inches above the board of the goal cage. The goal didn't count, however, because on the first shot in a penalty corner, the ball has to hit the board to count as a goal.
Battling a clear size disadvantage, the Blue Devils held the Cavaliers scoreless until Vissuzo's blast at the end of the half.
"It was a tough game physically," Reider said. "We didn't think about them as one of the top teams in the nation. Our first half was really strong and it gave us a little motivation."
The first half ended shortly after Virginia evened the score, and whatever coach Missi Sanders said to her team at halftime, it certainly worked. The Cavaliers dominated the Blue Devils for the rest of the game, demonstrating why they are unbeaten in the ACC for the second consecutive season.
Specifically, Sanders moved National Team defender Lori Mastropietro up the field to spur Virginia's offense and force Blue Devil defensive errors inside the 16-yard circle. The Cavaliers held Duke to one shot in the second half and earned 13 penalty corners, as opposed to just four corners in the first half.
Despite being outplayed, the Blue Devils hung on to the tie for the majority of the second half. With 11:41 left in the game, however, Robb slid out to block a Virginia shot. As Robb slid, career ACC goals leader Meridith Thorpe lifted the ball over Robb into the goal cage to seal the victory.
"I was proud of the way we fought," Tchou
Had the Blue Devils won the game, their chances at making the NCAA Tournament would have improved drastically. Twelve teams make the tournament, so with its current record, No. 13 Duke will probably be left out of the field.
Duke may face Virginia again in Charlottesville Friday if it beats Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament play-in game. The Blue Devils square off against the Demon Deacons at 2 p.m. Thursday and the winner of that game faces the Cavaliers the next day.
After the game, seniors Ford, Reider, Stacy Wallick and Sarah Doherty received flowers and were given the opportunity to thank their parents over the public address system.
"It was a little emotional," Ford said. "It is kind of an ending. This was a good game for the parents to see, but definitely disappointing."
Although Sunday's game was the official Senior Day, the Blue Devils have one home game remaining. They take on No. 4 Princeton tonight at 7 p.m., which may be Duke's final chance at an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
"Princeton is a huge game," Tchou said. "We just have to keep plugging."
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