The women's soccer team (9-9-2) ended its three-game winning streak and ruined any chance for an ACC tournament championship with a 2-0 loss to Clemson (14-6-0) Friday. Continuing play in this weekend's tournament at the Florida State Seminole Soccer Complex, the Tigers scored two goals in the final period for their second consecutive victory over the Blue Devils this season.
"We played well tonight," Duke head coach Robbie Church said. "The first goal is always key. We had our opportunities, and we had a lot of shots. We just did not capitalize on them."
Clemson got on the board in the 53rd minute of the match when freshman Lydia Vandenbergh served the ball in the box for teammate Lindsay Browne. After timing the play perfectly, Browne headed the ball past Duke goalkeeper Thora Helgadottir to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Church thought the match's first score was crucial for both teams.
"Like in every game, the first goal is so important," Church said. "We got a little tentative on their first goal and they took advantage of that. We didn't pressure the ball tight enough or do a good job of marking in the box."
Helgadottir, a first-team All-ACC selection, was once again incredible in goal for the Blue Devils, making six saves on 20 shots from the Tigers. Despite her superb play in net, the Blue Devil defense could not stop Clemson's second goal, as Church moved one player forward in order to create more offensive opportunities.
His decision backfired in the 79th minute when ACC Player of the Year Deliah Arrington netted her 17th goal of the year.
Midfielder Allison Mitchell fed Arrington a ball up the middle as she sprinted past Duke defenders and beat the Blue Devil netminder one-on-one.
"We started to change our formation when they got the second goal," Church said. "We took numbers out of the back and put them forward to try and tie the game. It was do-or-die. We didn't care if we lost by one goal or if we lost by four goals."
The Blue Devils had their chances on the offensive end, compiling 22 shots in the match.
Similar to many previous games, the Blue Devils could not finish their opportunities on the offensive end of the field. Tigers' goalie Lauren Heos, a second-team All-ACC goalkeeper, had nine saves in the match on 22 shots by the Blue Devils.
Helgadottir thought the game was well-played by both schools.
"It was a good game," she said. "There were a lot of shots for both teams. It just was not our day. It was Clemson's day today."
After a pivotal tie at North Carolina earlier in the season propelled Duke to three consecutive wins, the Blue Devils find themselves with a .500 record. Since Duke was the only team to receive an at-large bid with a record under .500 last year, the NCAA decided to change the rule this season disallowing teams with a losing record to compete in the tournament.
The Blue Devils will barely be eligible for an at-large bid with a 9-9-2 record on the year. The selection committee will decide the pairings for the competition which begins next week. Based on key wins over Tennessee, Florida and Virginia Church is confident his team deserves a bid but he will have to wait until Monday afternoon when the brackets are released.
"There's no question in my mind and other people's minds that I've talked to that think we deserve a bid," Church said. "I'm fairly confident we'll get one but we'll see what happens."
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