After losing to rival North Carolina last Sunday and having its 1-0 lead at No. 9 Wake Forest erased due to rain Wednesday, the Blue Devils could have used a relaxing win over Maryland, the last-place team in the ACC.
Instead, Duke's frustration only grew.
The Blue Devils (7-5-2, 3-2-2 in the ACC) posted a season-high 37 shots-including seven in two overtime periods-but could not find the back of the net as they battled to a scoreless tie with the Terrapins (4-8-3, 0-5-2) Saturday in College Park, Md.
"I don't know if I have the vocabulary to explain how frustrating it is," head coach Robbie Church said. "When you enter a match, you look to do two things offensively-create opportunities and then score goals. We obviously did one of those things very well today, but you're not going to win games unless you score goals."
The Blue Devils' recent inability to finish is just another chapter in a season of adversity. They have faced a wide variety of obstacles, from defensive problems to travel troubles on road trips.
"Sometimes, things in life don't always go your way," Church said. "We've battled back and battled back, and we'll continue to battle back."
Duke wasted little time in applying offensive pressure Saturday. Sophomore Lorraine Quinn had three legitimate scoring chances in the first half, including one shot that hit the underside of the crossbar and ricocheted straight down onto the goal line before it was cleared. The Blue Devils tallied 18 shots in the first half, eight of which were on goal and stopped by Maryland goalkeeper Nikki Resnick.
"We went into halftime and they were still alive," Church said. "They had hope."
Maryland remained very much alive in the second half, with Resnick continuing to turn away Duke shots. The ball stayed, for the most part, in Duke's offensive zone, although Maryland utilized a counterattack strategy to create offensive opportunities of its own.
Nevertheless, Church felt confident throughout the match that his team would score the game-winning goal.
"I thought we were going to win the game all the way until the final whistle," he said. "I thought that playmaker person was going to step up and really take the opportunity to win the game for us."
Duke continued to dominate in the two overtime periods. The Blue Devils had five corner kicks in one span in the second overtime, but they still could not connect.
The game was typical of Duke's mercurial season. While the offense could not convert opportunities, the defense flourished. Goalkeeper Allison Lipsher made five saves in her sixth shutout of the year. Despite the defense's solid performance, though, Duke's post-game focus was on its lack of finishing touch.
"We really have to concentrate the next few days on practicing on finishing," senior Darby Kroyer said. "We did a lot of good things, it's just a matter of whether we can find that goal."
The Blue Devils return to Durham Thursday when they host Clemson-a team that Church has never beat in his six-year tenure. Duke also plays home Sunday against No. 6 Florida State.
And with the end of the ACC regular season and the beginning of postseason play quickly approaching, Duke can only hope that it finds a way to score some goals and break its streak of mounting frustration.
"This team has faced a lot of adversity this year," Church said. "They're a tough group. They will be ready to play on Thursday night."
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