Needing a win to give themselves a shot at the NCAA tournament, the women's soccer team (9-8-2, 2-3-2 in the ACC) ousted the Virginia Cavaliers (11-6-2, 4-3-0) from the ACC tournament with a 1-0 victory Thursday afternoon.
"Playing with a sense of urgency has helped us," head coach Robbie Church said. "We haven't talked about it. We just go out and there and finish the plays we need to."
The Blue Devils' goal scoring has been suspect all season but they got on the board first, midway through the opening half. As Duke moved into Cavalier territory and pushed their defenders forward, freshman Heidi Hollenbeck sprinted up the right flank with the ball. She crossed the ball into the 18-yard box just as the Virginia defense tried to catch the Blue Devils' offside.
Sophomore Lauren Simel slipped through a crack in the Cavaliers' backfield and took one touch to trap Hollenbeck's pass before burying a goal past Virginia netminder Anne Abernathy with a shot to the far post.
After the Blue Devils jumped to a 1-0 lead, they dropped back into a more defensive formation. Senior captain Rebecca Smith helped Duke ensure a victory on the defensive end as she watched her team live to play another day.
"The game was huge for us," Smith said. "We play our best when our backs are against the wall. It means everything to me, I'm a senior and this is my last go at it. For our team to play as hard and with as much passion is huge."
The Duke defense played its most important game of the year as they worked together to keep the ball out of the net as the Wahoos relentlessly attacked. Freshman Noelle Keselica led the Cavalier offense with four out of their twenty total shots. Duke All-ACC goalie Thora Helgadottir made seven saves in the game, compared to just one by Abernathy.
Helgadottir pointed to the early goal as the momentum needed to give the Blue Devils a necessary win to help them qualify for the NCAA tournament.
"Getting a goal was a great thing because we had been struggling with the offense a little bit," Helgadottir said. "But the defense has been playing great and they kept it up today. We did a great job I think."
Duke used its defensive strength to its maximum potential in the second half as they allowed 12 shots. The Blue Devils focused on keeping the Cavaliers off-balance as the majority of their goal scoring chances were not on target.
Church noted that despite Virginia's overwhelming amount of shots, it could not penetrate past Duke's defensive wall.
"They had a lot of shots, but not a lot of great opportunities," Church said. "Thora made two of three big saves in the second half. She's a special player and we defended well as a team."
With the 1-0 victory, the Blue Devil's are guaranteed a chance for an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament. The next step for Duke in the ACC tournament is a matchup with Clemson Friday night.
Earlier this season the Tigers came back from a 2-0 deficit and beat the Blue Devils 3-2 in overtime. Duke will have to regroup and come out with the same do-or-die attitude if they want to advance to the ACC finals.
"Clemson beat us earlier in the season and we wanted another chance at them," Church said. "Our girls will be ready to play."
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