The women's soccer team returned from this weekend's road trip with a pair of wins over Central Florida and No. 14 Florida at the Adidas Showdown in Gainesville, Fla.
The Blue Devils followed up their 3-0 win over Central Florida Friday by defeating the Gators in a thrilling 2-1 overtime game Sunday afternoon, with Casey McCluskey netting both goals for Duke.
With just over three minutes into the first sudden-death overtime, McCluskey used her lightning-quick speed to beat the Gator defense and create a breakaway for herself. The sophomore midfielder let her shot rip from eight yards away and scored her second golden goal this season.
"Florida is a final four team from last year and they've won a national championship," head coach Robbie Church said. "Anytime you get a win at Florida it is a very, very precious thing."
Despite being outshot by Florida 8-4 in the first half, Duke made an attacking run that drew a penalty kick for McCluskey with three minutes remaining in the half. She subsequently buried the shot behind Florida goalkeeper Jordan Kellgren and gave the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead.
Church then decided to preserve both the lead and some of his players' energy by changing strategy for the second half.
"It was very hot and very humid," Church said. "We had to do some things tactically to change the pace. We compacted our defense and tried to play their outside players tougher because they were very fast."
With more players in the back, Duke forced Florida to struggle to get quality scoring opportunities. The Gators were unsuccessful with their first five shots of the second half, including one penalty kick which Duke goalie Katie Straka denied. Straka's eight saves in the game were possibly the most impressive statistic for the Blue Devils.
"Katie did a fantastic job in the goal today," Church said. "She stopped a penalty shot and was tremendous at coming out and collecting the balls in the air."
After a 25-minute lightning delay in the second half, both teams were well-rested from the heat and the Gators were ready to make an offensive surge. With about five minutes remaining on the clock, Florida pushed the ball into the Blue Devils' half and made one last attempt at tying the game. Defender Candace Rivers found the back of the net at the 87:35 mark in the game when she rifled the ball past Straka.
The Blue Devils handily defeated the Golden Knights from Central Florida 3-0 in the first match of the Adidas Showdown Friday afternoon. Carolyn Riggs chalked up two goals and Gwendolyn Oxenham scored the other in the win.
"We had a lot of chances against Central Florida," Church said. "We shared the ball very well but we still have to work on finishing."
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