CARY — In her first game since being named 2004 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, senior Casey McCluskey proved she deserved the honor. Her first-half goal provided all the scoring that 17th-ranked Duke (13-6) needed as it shut out Wake Forest (10-6-2) in the quarterfinals of the ACC Women’s Soccer Championship, 3-0.
The Blue Devils’ win sets up a semifinal matchup against No. 1 North Carolina Friday night at the SAS Soccer Complex in Cary, N.C. Maryland took the Tar Heels to double overtime, but sophomore Heather O’Reilly scored on a header three minutes in the 103rd minute to break the scoreless tie.
In the last quarterfinal of the day, McCluskey began the scoring action with just under three and a half minutes to play in the opening half. Fellow co-captain Carolyn Ford kicked a floating pass over the Demon Deacon defense, and McCluskey chased the ball down the right side. With no one between her and the goalie, the senior hit a low shot for her 16th goal of the season.
“She’s been there for us all year from day one in the preseason, all the way through the season,” head coach Robbie Church said. “It’s what you want your seniors to do. They’ve got to be the ones to step up. They’ve got to be the ones to lead.”
In comparison to recent games, Duke did a better job Wednesday night at keeping its forwards onside during its counterattacks. Since the start of the season, the Blue Devils have adjusted their offensive scheme and are using more long passes from their backs to create scoring opportunities.
“Our defenders have done a really good job recognizing the gaps in other teams’ defense,” McCluskey said. “Unfortunately in some of the past few games that we’ve lost, the forwards have been caught offside a lot, and we’ve been working on that. I think in this game we worked really hard staying in line with the defense.”
Although the Blue Devils prevented any serious scoring threats, they played sluggish soccer at times during the first half, Church said. After talking to the team at the break, Church inspired his players to come out of the locker room with a lot more aggression, particularly on the defensive side. The Blue Devils did not allow the Demon Deacons to muster a single shot in the final period of play.
“I thought they did a really good job, especially in the second half,” Church said. “What I thought the difference was in the second half was that we had a lot more pressure from our high players, our forwards and our midfielders, so they weren’t able to serve as many long balls in the second half as they were in the first half.”
Although the Blue Devils defeated Wake Forest 2-0 earlier this season, Duke’s talent and execution still impressed Wake Forest head coach Tony da Luz last night.
“Carolyn Ford is very underrated, probably the best center-back in our league,” da Luz said. “And McCluskey, she delivers again in the big games. They’ve got a great mix of players, and they just took it to us.”
McCluskey assisted on Duke’s second goal, using her speed to cut to the left and then around a Demon Deacon defender. She sent a pass to the center of the box, and junior Carolyn Riggs, whose quickness frustrated the Wake Forest defense all night, knocked a shot into the bottom right corner of the net.
Sophomore Darby Kroyer tapped in the rebound from freshman Lorraine Quinn’s shot to add the game’s third goal with just over 12 minutes remaining.
In the day’s other quarterfinal matches, Virginia crushed in-state rival Virginia Tech, 8-0, and Clemson upset No. 20 Florida State on penalty kicks after the squads battled to a 2-2 tie through two overtimes. The Cavaliers and Tigers will play in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday and Duke and North Carolina will follow at approximately 7:30 p.m.
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