And then there were 13.
Thirteen healthy players for the Duke field hockey team, a less than desirable number for 70 minutes of intense play. With senior Kim Susko recovering from shattered cheek bones, freshman Emily Sinkhorn still battling mono and scoring power Chrissy Ashley now plagued with stress fractures, the Blue Devils certainly had apprehensions approaching this weekend's games against ninth-ranked William & Mary and the Radford Highlanders. A disappointing 4-0 loss to Wake Forest last Wednesday still loomed over their shoulders and Duke knew these games were crucial for its national ranking and confidence.
But as usual, Duke rose to the challenge. Two solid wins later, it has once again proven its relentlessness.
Duke came out strong against William & Mary, yet struggled to put the ball in the net during a scoreless first half. After three failed corner attempts, one of which launched a ball into junior forward Liz Bateman's face, temporarily removing her from the game, Duke's frustration was apparent. Duke goalie Erica Perrier managed to hold strong, however, and fend off the William & Mary attack with several key penalty corner saves.
Finally, eight-and-a-half minutes into the second half, Duke produced a textbook passing sequence penalty corner, in which captain Courtney Sommer, off a pass from Robin Merritt, tipped in her sixth goal of the season.
The second Blue Devil goal came at the 11:47 mark when senior Jennelle Moore drove the baseline and flipped the ball to freshman Stacey Tsougas, who knocked it in the cage.
Despite William & Mary's press for the remainder of the game, Duke held strong and sealed the shutout when Perrier denied a penalty stroke with seven minutes left to play. The 2-0 victory marked Perrier's second shut out of the season.
"It was important that we show up strong today," Perrier said. "We've proven that we can bounce back from adversity and upset ranked teams."
Duke turned on the heat again yesterday against Radford to complete a successful weekend and its record to 5-5.
The Blue Devils set the tone in the first three minutes of play when Merritt tipped in a blast from captain Angie North.
Though Radford goalie Brooke Peterson foiled Duke's next four corner attempts, the Blue Devils would not be satisfied with merely one goal. With 9:29 remaining in the half, North, finishing a well-executed corner, received a pass from Sommer and lifted it past Peterson into the net.
Duke continued to produce beautiful passing sequences and offensive rushes before eventually tallying a third goal halfway through the second period when Sommer blasted a penalty corner shot into the Radford net.
Radford answered in the last 10 minutes of play when Jamie Harris dodged two Duke defenders and lifted the ball past Perrier. But the Highlanders' brief comeback attempt wasn't enough.
"Coming off a weekday loss to Wake was tough, but we really got the job done this weekend," coach Liz Tchou said. "These games gave us confidence and should put us in the rankings. Now we know we can play shorthanded."
Duke takes the field again Saturday against Richmond at Williams Field. The Blue Devils will also play rival UNC next weekend on their home turf.
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