Coming off a big road win against Virginia Tech Thursday night, the Blue Devils could not cap off the weekend with an upset, falling at ACC rival Virginia 1-0 Sunday.
The Blue Devils came out strong, battling the 21st-ranked Cavaliers in a scoreless first half despite being outshot 6-2.
But in the 79th minute, Virginia's Jess Rostedt, who is third in the ACC in points per game, notched the lone goal of the match with a driving shot from inside the penalty area.
"We played a good first half, but didn't close out on a couple of opportunities," head coach Robbie Church said. "We didn't play as well in the second half as we did in the first. We are going to have to continue to learn how to win and make big plays in the second half."
Although Duke (5-4-1, 1-1 in the ACC) only lost by one goal, Virginia (7-2-1, 2-0) created many more scoring opportunities, outshooting the Blue Devils, 11-2. Church attributed the shot discrepancy to a combination of good defense by the Cavaliers and a lack of offensive patience from his team.
"Their center backs played really well," Church said. "We have to make some better decisions."
Duke's impatience was evident in the eight offside penalties called against it, six of which came in the second half. On a number of occasions, the Blue Devils were close to breaking down the Cavalier defense with short passes but instead forced a long ball.
"The offside penalties broke up our momentum," said Church. "The timing of our runs were not up to par."
The Blue Devil's offensive futility was not unique to this game, as the team ranks eighth out of 11 ACC teams in shots and total points. In addition, no Duke player is ranked in the top 10 in the ACC in points, assists, or shots. Church said this was a cause for concern and something the team needs to improve upon.
"You have to create opportunities to score," he said.
Despite the disappointing result, Church said he believes the team can take a positive outlook on the road loss to a ranked team.
"Going into Virginia's home field and playing them toe-to-toe for 90 minutes was a very good thing," he said.
Church said he was also impressed with the Blue Devils' effort since they are such a young squad. Duke started four freshmen, while the Cavaliers' lineup did not feature any.
The team has a chance for redemption this week as it plays two critical ACC matches at home. Duke takes on Boston College, one of three teams that is undefeated in ACC play, Sept. 28, and N.C. State Oct. 1.
"This is a big week," Church said. "We have to execute some things against a good quality opponent."
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