Going into this weekend, only two of the top 10 teams in the nation were undefeated.
While No. 1 North Carolina surprised no one with its stellar 3-0 record, ninth-ranked Duke's matching wins did not go unnoticed.
Unfortunately for the Blue Devils (4-1), Louisville (4-1) took notice, and the Cardinals made it their mission to do what no team, including sixth-ranked Michigan State, had been able to: defeat Duke.
In the finals of their own tournament at Trager Stadium Sunday, the Cardinals handed the Blue Devils their first loss of the season, 2-1, shutting down the Duke offense in the second half.
"We scored first, but we couldn't sustain our attack," coach Liz Tchou said. "Louisville penetrated our middle and dominated us."
Louisville's Danielle Barr and Pip Sanders scored for the Cardinals in the second half, including Sanders' reverse-stick chip shot with 5:29 remaining in the game. Sanders led the Louisville attack in the second stanza, as Louisville outshot Duke 10-4 overall.
The afternoon started well for the Blue Devils when freshman Johanna Bischof scored her fourth career goal and team-leading 10th point with 25 minutes remaining in the half. It would be Duke's only score of the day.
"We got our first goal and were a bit complacent," senior forward Liz Bateman said. "We sat on the lead when we should have been attacking."
Before facing Louisville, though, Duke began the weekend with a bang, downing Michigan State (3-2), 1-0.
It was a matchup the Blue Devils had been waiting for since last season, when Duke lost to the Spartans 2-1. A more physical team than Duke, Michigan State fought to penetrate the Blue Devils' circle, but never found the back of the net.
"Michigan State is a team you love to beat and hate to lose to," senior back Angie North said. "I think we conquered morally and beat them with sound teamwork."
Unlike the Louisville matchup, one Blue Devil goal was sufficient for the win, as Bischof assisted classmate Gracie Sorbello on the game winner with 6:35 remaining in the first half. The goal was Sorbello's first of the season and marked Bischof's second assist of the year.
So far this season, Bischof has either scored or assisted on a goal in every game. Her early success bodes well for the Blue Devils, whose improved team play continually allows the Canadian sharpshooter to find the back of the net.
Goalie Hallie Smith also recorded her second shutout in four games against Michigan State and tallied four saves against Louisville.
"These first five games have been preparation for the ACC tournament," Tchou said. "We've now had experiences to fight and stay strong. We just have to learn from our losses, as well as learn from our wins."
Duke will open ACC play this Friday against Wake Forest at 7 p.m. on the East Campus Turf.
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