The 1999 Blue Devils earned themselves a place in history yesterday as the field hockey team defeated defending national champion Old Dominion for the first time in school history.
Duke had lost its previous 11 meetings against the second-ranked Lady Monarchs (4-2), but yesterday afternoon at Williams Field, the Blue Devils (5-3) exhibited precision, persistence and nerves of steel to topple their 11-time Goliath, 3-2.
The game also had special meaning for coach Liz Tchou, who served under ODU coach Beth Anders on the U.S. national team. For Tchou, this game was not just David vs. Goliath, but also pupil versus teacher.
Senior Corey Ceccolini scored all three of Duke's goals, the last a perfectly executed penalty corner with 10:28 remaining in the game. Ceccolini drove home what proved to be the game-winner with assists from sophomore Angie North and Courtney Sommer.
"We know we have a potent corner," coach Liz Tchou said. "In the past two games, we've been getting really good movement on the forward line."
It was a small lead that proved to be sufficient for the win. ODU had squandered a multitude of scoring opportunities when the score was tied 2-2, including a series of five consecutive penalty corners in the 16th minute of the second half.
The series ended with a final penalty stroke awarded to ODU because Duke goalie Jenn Robb laid on the ball as she tried to prevent the Lady Monarchs from gaining the lead.
A penalty stroke is the field hockey version of playing one-on-one. Only the goalie and the player taking the shot remain
ODU's Marina DiGiacoma took the shot, flicking it high above Robb's head. The senior went airborne as the shot bounced off the top post with 19:43 remaining in the game.
"Our defense was incredible," Robb said. "[They] locked up the shots and limited the amount of shots [ODU] took on me."
It was the Lady Monarch's best scoring opportunity but was followed by a trio of penalty corners late in the game which Robb staved off to give the Blue Devils the win.
Duke drew first blood in the contest, with Ceccolini pushing the ball into the net on an assist from midfielder Kim Susko in the eighth minute of the first half.
Throughout the first half, the Blue Devils matched a talented, yet tired Lady Monarch squad with disciplined stickwork and brickwall defense. Duke then took a 2-0 lead 14 minutes later on a Ceccolini sidestep past ODU goalie Mary Beth Freeman on a pass from Chrissy Ashley.
ODU turned on the gas late in the first half as it awoke from a daze that began Saturday in a 1-0 loss to third-ranked UNC. Lady Monarch midfielder Tara Hermann put one past Robb with 5:52 left in the half to remind the Blue Devils that the game was not over yet.
The Lady Monarchs retained the momentum in the beginning of the second half, penetrating the Duke defensive circle repeatedly. Adept Blue Devil defense allowed ODU only its second and last goal of the game with 27:28 remaining.
The Blue Devils won the game converting three out of four total shots on goal, compared to the Lady Monarchs' whopping 21 shots.
The Old Dominion upset capped a great weekend, which began Friday night with a 9-0 drubbing of Appalachian State.
Ceccolini once again led the team breakout from its recent scoring slump as the Branford, Conn., native scored a hat trick in the first half and finished with four goals.
"My teammates worked hard the whole game," Ceccolini said. "I just happened to be the person to put the ball in the back of the net."
The Blue Devils blasted Appalachian State in the first realization of the potency of their new wide-open, attacking offense.
"[The win over Appalachian State] helped the team to realize what potential they have," Tchou said.
Their potential had been unrealized for most of season so far, as injuries and scoring problems left Duke with few subs to spell the starters.
Robb had been rehabilitating from an offseason shoulder surgery, and this weekend marked her return to the starting lineup. She recorded her first shutout of the year as Appalachian State posted no shots on goal.
The Blue Devils, on the other hand, took 30 shots on goal and exhibited their most powerful offensive showing this season with nine goals.
Tchou had another coach-athlete connection to Appalachian State, as Mountaineer head coach and Duke alum Patience Harrison played under Tchou until she graduated in 1995. This time, though, the teacher beat the pupil mercilessly.
"We needed that win [against the Mountaineers]," Tchou said. "We needed that sustained attack for confidence."
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