As she saw her game-winning shot roll into the far post of the goal less than four minutes into double-overtime, Kelly Hathorn was excited, but also incredibly relieved.
After gutting it out with Virginia Tech (4-4-1, 0-2-0 in the ACC) for nearly 104 minutes in a 1-0 win, the Duke forward was just glad to get off of her feet.
"Everyone started jumping on top of me, and I was just screaming about my legs," Hathorn said. "[Christie McDonald] doesn't even try to hug me, she runs right in, grabs my foot, starts stretching my calf muscles. It was just hysterical. It was a typical Kelly Hathorn celebration."
For the player who is now tied for the most Blue Devil scores this season, it's not just the celebration that's becoming commonplace.
After forward Elisabeth Redmond sent a ball to midfielder Jane Alukonis, Alukonis broke through the defense and played the ball out to the left side of the field, where Hathorn settled it. The junior then ripped the ball into the net to beat the goalie from about eight yards out. Hathorn's fourth strike of the season ended the 104-minute battle for the Blue Devils (6-2-2, 1-1-0).
Hathorn's goal ended a hard-fought contest between the two teams. The game was incredibly physical, as the Blue Devils and the Hokies combined for 28 fouls.
"[Virginia Tech] really brought it to us, but we were ready for it," Hathorn said. "I think we battled back really well."
Duke gave a strong defensive effort against an attack-minded team, allowing just eight shots, only three of which were on net. Goalie Allison Lipsher made some fantastic saves late in the second half to preserve the shutout and anchor the solid play of the back line.
"It's tough to play against teams like that because they're always looking to attack and get in behind you, so you have to be really organized," Lipsher said. "The back four stepped up really well."
On offense, the Blue Devils had more difficulty. They came out flat in the first half and struggled to find their rhythm. As the game went on, though, Duke was able to pick up its energy level, and it showed in the stat line. The team took as many shots, five, in the first ten-minute period of overtime as it did in the entire second half of regulation.
Midfielder Lorraine Quinn credited the offensive spurt in overtime to the team's determination to play its type of game.
"We tried as hard as we could to keep [the ball] on the ground and really play our style," Quinn said. "We had a number of chances-we just finally put one away."
The first and second overtime sessions featured several great scoring opportunities for the Blue Devils. Midfielder Kendall Bradley took advantage of forward KayAnne Gummersall's absence up front and applied the pressure, putting up two shots in the first extra session, including one ball that bounced off the left post of the goal.
But the play of the day belonged to Hathorn. Head coach Robbie Church could only think of one thing after watching the ball go in and the game finally come to an end.
"Thank goodness," Church said. "Thank goodness."
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