The women's soccer team's most successful season of the past decade came to a screeching halt Saturday in Los Angeles. No. 11 UCLA (16-6) knocked the 18th-ranked Blue Devils (15-8) out of the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 with a 2-0 shutout.
"It was a great experience and a great run," head coach Robbie Church said. "Obviously when you get down to the final 16 you can smell the Final Four. Everybody was very proud of themselves and their teammates."
The Bruins' Danesha Adams scored the eventual game-winning goal midway through the first half. Teammate Lindsay Greco hit Adams with a pass, and the freshman split two Duke defenders before firing a shot into the right corner of the net. The score was Adams' third of the NCAA tournament.
From the start, the Bruins controlled the tempo, and Church said UCLA competed harder than his team throughout the first half, boasting a 10-2 shot margin over the Blue Devils. Still, Duke goalie Allison Lipsher made five saves in the period to keep the game within reach at the break.
"She had a very solid game and made seven saves," Church said. "Some of those were long-distance shots. There was one in the first half that was a really good save. If we had been down 2-0 [in the first half], it could have gotten really ugly. She kept us in it."
Duke emerged from the locker room with much more energy, knowing that a loss would end the careers of the Blue Devils' three seniors, Casey McCluskey, Lauren Simel and Kate Straka.
At the 47-minute mark, forward Carolyn Riggs barely missed a shot to the right side of the goal and McCluskey kicked a ball over the crossbar minutes later. The Duke offense, however, was unable to muster many strong opportunities on goal.
"We came out in the second half and played much, much better," Church said. "We played pretty well in the back and in the middle third, but we just could not get the last volley in for a good scoring chance. I think we had seven shots but none of them were great shots."
With just over 15 minutes remaining, the Blue Devils changed their formation and brought an extra attacker to the front, trying to score an equalizer. Although the strategy generated a few more Duke shots, UCLA capitalized on a counterattack. Bristyn Davis netted a goal with three minutes remaining, giving the Bruins a two-goal advantage.
"I think if you objectively look at it, probably the best team won on the day," Church said.
It was an emotional loss for Duke, which won 15 games during the year, its highest output since the 1994 season. In addition, McCluskey had one of the best seasons in Blue Devil history. The ACC Offensive Player of the Year finished the season with 40 points, tying a school record.
"I was initially very upset, but I'm also really proud of how well we did this season and how far we got in the tournament," McCluskey said. "My main emotion is just pride and happiness at what a great season we had."
Duke will return 22 of the 25 players from this season's roster, and Church said that the Blue Devils earned valuable experience traveling across the country during the tournament. Although replacing this class of seniors will be difficult, he said expectations will be high.
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