WINSTON-SALEM - Just a minute and a half into the second overtime, Wake Forest's Michelle Kasold fired a shot into Duke's open net and brought the Blue Devils' emotional roller coaster-as well as their season-to a sudden halt.
No. 4 Duke (16-6) fell, 5-4, to the top-ranked Demon Deacons in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament Friday in Winston-Salem. The matchup marked the fourth straight time the Blue Devils and Wake Forest have met in the final four, with the Demon Deacons having now won three of the four matchups. Maryland then topped Wake Forest (21-2), 1-0, Sunday to capture its second consecutive national championship.
"This game clearly could have gone either way, and this was like a championship game tonight," Duke head coach Beth Bozman said after Friday's defeat.
After a furious Duke comeback to tie the game in regulation, neither team could finish off any scoring opportunities in the first extra period.
But the Demon Deacons created their best chance of the extra time early in the second overtime when Duke turned the ball over near midfield, and two Wake Forest forwards got behind Duke's defense. Blue Devil goalie Caitlin Williams-who had bailed the defense out on several occasions in the first overtime-charged out to stop the two-on-one break. Williams went low in an attempt to deflect any shot or pass. But Demon Deacon forward Christine Suggs managed to flip a pass over her, leaving Kasold with the ball and nothing between her and a trip to the national championship.
Kasold seemed to lose her balance but expertly hammered the ball into the back of the net and set off a joyous celebration in front of Wake Forest's home crowd.
The ease of the Demon Deacons' final goal was perhaps appropriate in a game that was marked by two competitive teams capitalizing on each others' miscues. The nine-goal total was the highest in any semifinal game in NCAA history.
"We had a couple mistakes, and it cost us the game," Bozman said. "There you have it. I don't know when you've ever seen nine goals in a final four game before. It kind of speaks to the type of game this was."
Late in the second half, it appeared that even forcing overtime was an impossibility for Duke. The Blue Devils trailed, 4-2, with less than two minutes left in regulation before Duke's veterans led the team in mounting an incredible comeback. Senior Hilary Linton scored on a hard shot from the top of the circle with 1:02 remaining to bring the Blue Devils within one.
Then, with less than 20 seconds remaining, Laura Suchoski sent the ball into a crowd inside the circle, and senior forward Elizabeth Floyd tipped the ball into the air. Wake Forest goalkeeper Crystal Duffield attempted to knock the ball down, but it bounced over her head and into the goal with just 11 ticks left, capping a comeback that Bozman said was unlike any she had seen at the college level.
"This is a very strong, mentally strong, team, and you can beat them, but they are not going to stay down," Bozman said. "I think that was the attitude they took into the final minute of the game."
The Blue Devils got off to fast starts in both halves-scoring 1:18 into the contest and just over four minutes after the break-but Wake Forest dominated possession throughout the game. The Demon Deacons outshot Duke, 17-9, for the game, including 13-6 in shots on goal.
Both teams were still feeling the effects of the Nov. 1 death of Maria Whitehead. Whitehead, who played at Wake Forest from 1999-2002 and served as an assistant at Duke for parts of the past two seasons, was honored at the beginning of the second half. As the teams took the field following the halftime break, fans from both sides held up signs displaying the number five, which Whitehead wore as a player.
The loss was the final game for four Blue Devils seniors. Floyd, Linton, Cara-Lynn Lopresti and Amy Stopford-who combined for 107 points this season-made four final fours in their careers but were unable to capture the program's first national title.
"I just couldn't be happier to be a part of this team," Floyd said. "I would rather lose in this game with this team than go on and win a national championship with any other team."
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