After No. 18 Johns Hopkins scored its sixth goal, giving the Blue Jays a 6-2 lead just 10 minutes into Sunday's contest, women's lacrosse head coach Kerstin Kimel signaled for a timeout to rally her No. 2 Blue Devils (3-0).
Duke responded by reeling off five unanswered goals, three coming before halftime and two more in the opening minutes of the second half. Kimel's team would go on to win 11-8.
Johns Hopkins (0-1) attempted to comeback, tying the game at seven with 20:18 remaining, but Duke's defense prevailed as the Blue Devils outscored the Blue Jays 6-2 in the second half.
Freshman sensation Katie Chrest, who recorded a game-high four goals, gave Duke a lead it would not relinquish at the 16:04 mark with a shot into net for an 8-7 advantage. Senior All-American Kate Kaiser extended the lead to two a few minutes later, moments before Meghan Miller built a three-goal lead with 11:21 left.
Hopkins would score again, but Chrest put the game out of reach with a free position strike with just four minutes to go.
That the Blue Jays were able to remain close was testament to their accurate shooting, as Johns Hopkins was outshot 32-13. Duke, who is 5-0 all-time against the Blue Jays, also won the ground balls category, holding a 34-22 edge in the game.
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