The Chronicle
Bill Hempen has seen better days.
Following losses to Virginia and Maryland, the women's soccer team lost two games this weekend to No. 7 Southern Cal and top-ranked Santa Clara at the Duke adidas Women's Soccer Classic at Koskinen Stadium.
Faced with the role of David against two west coast Goliaths, Duke (5-5, 0-2 in the ACC) was unable to win either contest as Hempen watched his team's winning percentage drop to .500.
"Right now I think our confidence is about as low as it can get at this point in the season," Hempen said.
Friday night's 2-0 loss to Southern Cal was characterized by an unrelenting Trojan offense that kept constant pressure on the Blue Devil defense and goalie Isis Dallis. USC took only seven shots on goal, but was in control for most of the game.
Trojan midfielder Kim Clark opened the scoring in the 14th minute, stealing the ball from Duke's Kasey Truman and firing it past Dallis to register her first goal of the season.
Shortly before halftime, Southern Cal's Jennifer Prigmore scored the game's only other goal. USC midfielder Isabelle Harvey's shot rebounded off of Dallis, and Prigmore was there to convert it into the Trojans' second goal.
Try as they might, the Blue Devils were simply unable to execute offensively. Midfielder Sherrill Kester led Duke with six shots, but none of the senior's attempts found their way past Trojan keeper Shaelyn Fernandes. Kester's best scoring opportunity fizzled when her shot in the 68th minute barely missed to the right of the goal.
"[The offense] looked a little disjointed," Hempen admitted. "We just didn't get any breaks offensively."
What little offense Duke displayed against USC apparently took the day off yesterday against Santa Clara, who on Friday beat North Carolina 1-0.
The first period was almost entirely one-sided as the Blue Devils were outshot 12-0 by the overpowering Broncos.
"We weren't taking shots," Hempen said. "We were trying to be one pass more perfect. The shots presented themselves but we never took them."
Santa Clara was held to only two first-half goals, largely through the efforts of Dallis. The junior made several impressive saves, including a leap into the net which prevented a bouncing ball from becoming the Broncos' third goal.
In the second half, however, the floodgates opened.
The Broncos scored early and often, tallying five goals in the half's first 22 minutes, including an own-goal which was headed twice by Duke defenders before bouncing into the net. With the game out of hand, Hempen replaced Dallis with freshman Tara Walker.
Down 7-0 68 minutes into the game, Kester finally took the Blue Devils' first shot on goal.
As the game reached its close, Hempen's offense eventually began to execute. Santa Clara's physical defense finally cracked, allowing two goals to Duke's Sarah Pickens and Sherrill Kester in the 86th minute.
When the carnage subsided, the Blue Devils were left to wonder what had gone wrong. Bill Hempen can only hope they figure it out soon.
Note: Koskinen Stadium was officially dedicated on Sunday prior to the game between Duke and Santa Clara. The stadium was officially named John and Patricia Koskinen Stadium in honor of the Koskinen family's $2.5 million gift to the University.
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