The field hockey team lost for the first time this season when the Blue Devils were downed by the James Madison Dukes 3-2 last Saturday in Harrisonburg, Va.
The loss dropped the Blue Devils to 2-1 on the season
"It was hard fought," head coach Liz Tchou said. "We always have a good match with JMU, who is much better this year. I'm proud of the way we played, and I feel really positive. We learned a lot."
Duke junior Kim Van Kirk posted the day's first points with her goal 13:03 into the first half. Van Kirk rebounded a shot from midfield Chrissy Ashley on a penalty-corner play.
Ten minutes later, JMU was granted a penalty stroke after a Duke defender touched the ball with her hand. Senior Elize van Ballegooie then tied up the game with her goal.
"There was definitely one goal we could have prevented," Tchou said. "For the most part, though, our defense played pretty solidly."
Van Ballegooie then scored again, five minutes later, off a penalty-corner ten yards out.
At the start of the second half, sophomore Veerle Goudswaard beat out three Blue Devil defenders on a breakaway and put the ball in the goal past goalkeeper Erica Perrier. Kim Gogola answered with what Tchou called "an incredible goal" when her shot, taken just inside the penalty circle, put Duke within one. The Blue Devils, however, were unable to score again and the final score remained 3-2.
Duke put up better numbers on the day, but the Blue Devils were unable to convert on the field. They outshot JMU in the second half 14-2, and had a 20-8 advantage for the game. Perrier recorded three saves, while JMU goalkeeper Lori Amico had a total of ten.
"We had a lot of opportunities in the second half," Tchou said. "We had positive statistics, in outshooting and outcornering them. I was pleased with the increased entry of balls into the circle, which placed the goalkeeper under more pressure. In the first half we just forced too much to the left."
The team will have a full week of practice before facing a challenging Old Dominion squad Saturday. They then play Virginia Commonwealth the following day.
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