WINSTON-SALEM — With the score tied at two in the second half, the field hockey team made a defensive mistake that cost it a chance to advance to the finals of the ACC Tournament for the second consecutive year.
Eight minutes after halftime, the Blue Devils (15-4) forgot to keep an eye on Maryland (15-4) back Anja Boettcher, who had scored earlier in the game. Midfielder Paula Infante brought the ball down the field and slapped it toward the net from outside the circle. After the ball deflected off several of the Duke defenders’ sticks, Boettcher collected it and was all alone six feet in front of the goal. Calmly, she switched the ball to her backhand side and sent a shot past Duke goalie Christy Morgan to take the lead, 3-2.
The Blue Devils failed to convert on any of their chances to tie the score at three, leaving head coach Beth Bozman teary-eyed and disappointed after the game.
“They’re a good dangerous team,” Bozman said. “We made some key defensive mistakes, and they were able to capitalize on it. I think if anyone watched the second half, they’d be surprised if they saw the score.”
Duke fell to 1-3 on the season against national powers Maryland, Wake Forest and North Carolina. One goal decided all three losses, and the Blue Devils often outplayed their opposition for long stretches in each game, especially in the midfield.
Friday was no exception, as the Duke midfield dictated the flow of the game. The faster Blue Devils forced the Terrapins to play at an up-and-down tempo.
Midfielder Hilary Linton had more touches than any other Duke player and was often able to weave through two or three defenders while moving the ball down the field. But in the end, Maryland beat Duke at its own game.
“[Duke] brings a level of speed to Division I that is unmatched and is so exciting for the fans,” Maryland head coach Missy Meharg said. “In that respect, I’m very proud of our team for being able to handle that horse-race style.”
The game started with a bang, the teams combined for three goals during a two-minute stretch early in the first half. Maryland opened the scoring when Duke failed to clear the ball after a penalty corner. Janneke van Leeuwen picked up the loose ball from her pusher position on the penalty corner unit and knocked it into the net for a 1-0 lead at the 4:04 mark.
Duke leveled the score less than a minute later when forward Katie Grant penetrated through Maryland’s defense and beat keeper Kathryn Masson for her 20th goal of the season. The score was not tied for long, however, as Boettcher scored her first goal of the game less than six minutes into the opening half.
The score remained 2-1 heading into the second half, before the Blue Devils briefly tied the game. Junior Nicole Dudek collected a rebound in a scrum in front of the net and slapped the ball past Masson for her 19th goal of the season.
As time was ticking off the clock, Duke desperately tried to tie the score. The game ended when Blue Devil senior forward Chrissie Murphy took off on a breakaway with less than a minute to go. But as she approached the circle, she slowed down, and a Maryland defender chased Murphy down and cleared the ball. Seconds later, the Terrapins screamed and rushed the field in celebration.
“Three of the top four teams in the country are going to go home sad, and any other team in the country would love to be in our position,” Bozman said. “That’s the reality of playing in the ACC.”
Maryland lost to North Carolina 3-1 in the finals Sunday. The Tar Heels had to beat defending champions Wake Forest in the semifinals to reach the title game.
The Blue Devils have a week before the NCAA Tournament, when any loss will be their last. The team will also have to hope that it can play its first two games with home-field advantage, a privilege generally granted to the top four seeds in the tournament. Even though it appears the Blue Devils are a favorite to host two opening-round games, a victory Friday would have left no doubt for the tournament committee.
Still, a successful run in the NCAA Tournament will erase all memory of the conference tournament.
“I don’t think that we should dwell [on the loss],” Dudek said. “We have two more weeks to go, so we just need to work on some things.”
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