Heading into the upcoming ACC tournament, the women's soccer team wanted to use its game this weekend against UNC-Greensboro to gain some momentum. And that is exactly what it did.
The Blue Devils (12-8) dominated the Spartans (8-11) Saturday night at Koskinen Stadium, outshooting them 20-3 en route to a 2-0 victory and their fifth shutout of the year.
"We played about as good as we have for an entire game," coach Bill Hempen said. "We had the ball a lot and moved off the ball well. The score doesn't say it, but we were in complete control of the game.
"We haven't done that to anybody, and I don't think we have done that to this team ever. So, I'm really proud of the way we played."
With the score knotted at zero 52:25 minutes into the game, junior Kim Daws unleashed a shot from 12 yards out on the right side of the field that just evaded the outstretched arms of Spartan goalie Kathryn Cewley in the top left corner of the net.
The goal was quite a relief for Duke, as Cewley, who recorded 13 saves on the night, had been tremendous in goal all game.
"Kimmy Daws, my goodness, what a great game she had," Hempen said. "I was glad she got that goal. It had to be a perfect shot and it was."
Sophomore Katie Heaps iced the game for the Blue Devils just 11 minutes later, scoring her first goal of the season. But it was not quite as pretty as Daws' score.
Sophomore Sarah Pickens sent a cross in front of the net that resulted in a mad scramble for the ball. Heaps gained control of the ball, placing it in the right corner of the open net for the 2-0 lead.
"Those were just the kind of balls that were going to go in tonight because their keeper stopped everything," Hempen said. "I was really relieved to see that second one go in for us."
While the Blue Devils controlled the ball for nearly the whole game, Cewley's play kept the score close throughout.
At the 24:30 mark, freshman Carly Fuller barely missed putting her team on the board, as her shot bounced just wide. Less than a minute later, Duke saw Cewley make two saves at point blank range to keep the score tied.
With 21:10 to play in the opening half, it appeared as if the Blue Devils would take the lead, but Fuller's bullet from 12 yards out was snagged by a diving Cewley.
After the Blue Devils finally took a 1-0 lead, junior Kasey Truman had two opportunities on headers to extend the advantage, but Cewley was equal to the task on both occasions.
On the other side, UNC-G was never able to mount much of a push on the offensive end.
"I'm most pleased that we didn't give up any goals," Hempen said. "We have been practicing our team defense, and we did a great job tonight.... We were buzzing around on the field as good as we have all year."
With the victory, the Blue Devils carry a three-game winning streak into the ACC tournament this weekend. Hempen attributes this consistent play of late to the fact that he has been able to put the same group of players on the field more than once.
"With this team, I haven't been able to go into any game know exactly what I am going to get," he said. "This is the third game in a row we've started the same team, and that hasn't happened in a year and a half.
"Anytime you can get a group to play together for extended periods of time you're going to get more and more comfortable with one another. And I think they're doing it at the right time."
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