Entering into the toughest stretch of an already difficult schedule, the No. 5 Blue Devils (6-2, 1-1 in the ACC) sought to use a trio of contests against top-10 teams over break to determine where they ranked among the nation’s elite.
“I think that the top eight teams could beat any of the other teams on any given day,” junior Katie Chrest said. “I think it’s really obvious that it’s anyone’s year this year to get to the final game and win the championship.”
Led by Chrest and sophomore Kristen Waagbo, the Blue Devils’ offense had enjoyed an outpouring of goals, scoring 82 times in only five games. The unit, however, was largely untested in dire late-game situations when a late goal was needed. In addition, Duke’s offense was conspicuously absent early in the second half of last month’s 10-7 win over Maryland when the Blue Devils failed to respond to a flurry of Terrapin goals, allowing Maryland to turn a potential blowout into a much tighter contest.
Defensively, the Blue Devils were also looking for a true challenge, maintaining a goals-against average of 6.2 per game. Although anchored in the net by junior Megan Huether, the unit had yet to see a true leader emerge from the group. Additionally, the Maryland game also revealed Duke’s occasional habit of relying on its offense to bail it out of sometimes streaky defense.
All of these problems would eventually coalesce and come to the forefront in the Blue Devils’ heart-breaking 12-11 loss to No. 4 North Carolina (6-2, 1-1) March 12. Despite three-goal performances from both Chrest and freshman Caroline Cryer, the Blue Devils squandered a three-goal advantage in the game’s final 14 minutes. North Carolina’s Meg Freshwater scored the eventual game-winning goal with 2:35 remaining, as Duke’s subsequent shots all went wide of the net.
“We had a lot of opportunities and failed to capitalize,” sophomore Michelle Menser said. “We just needed to be more accurate and put the ball in the back of the net. Our shots hit the post at the end of the game. Had it been a quarter of an inch the other way, we would have tied it up.”
Although the Blue Devils attempted to rebound in their next game against No. 1 Princeton (3-1) March 16, Duke’s second-half woes would re-emerge as the Tigers won, 7-4. With rainy weather and cold temperatures forcing the game to be played on the turf fields adjacent to Koskinen Stadium, Duke’s usual speed advantage and fast-break was nullified by the narrow width of the playing surface.
After falling behind 3-0 early in the first half, the Blue Devils’ defense stepped up and shut down the Princeton attack. This scoring lapse allowed Duke to fight back before eventually tying the game at 4-4 with 20 minutes to play. But Duke’s offense would not score again for the rest of the game, as Princeton netted three goals in the final five minutes.
“We were paranoid about turning the ball over and making stupid mistakes,” Chrest said. “We dominated time of possession in the second half but couldn’t get enough shots off or get near enough to the goal to put the game away.”
Anxious to stop their two-game skid, the Blue Devils quickly found solace heading up the coast to face No. 3 Georgetown (4-1) in Washington March 19. The matchup was especially meaningful to Duke’s seniors, as it was their last chance to avenge two recent loses to the Hoyas in the NCAA Tournament, most notably last year’s opening round 14-13 overtime upset.
Although Georgetown was able to overcome a four-goal deficit when Duke was again shut out for a long stretch in the second half, the Blue Devils were finally able to break through at the end. Senior Katie Laschinger scored the eventual game-winning goal with 6:34 to play, and Chrest tacked on two soon thereafter to secure a 10-7 Duke victory.
“We really wanted to make a statement about this year’s team, that we could turn things around,” Chrest said. “It was a huge, huge step for our team.”
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