Frustrated by Thursday's goal-less effort against Boston College, the Duke offense was determined to make its mark on N.C. State Sunday at Koskinen Stadium.
The No. 10 Blue Devils did just that, with 90 minutes of tenacity that created a bevy of chances en route to a 3-0 win.
"We had a better mentality today, an attacking mentality," head coach Robbie Church said.
That aggressive mindset was on display from kickoff, as the Blue Devils (9-1-1, 1-0-1 in the ACC) produced three great scoring opportunities in the first five minutes. But ghosts of the Boston College match haunted the Duke attack, and the first 30 minutes of play yielded no scores.
Finally, after over two scoreless hours of ACC competition, Duke struck in the 30th minute. Freshman defender Ashley Rape played a ball to junior forward KayAnne Gummersall, who calmly settled the pass and buried the point-blank opportunity.
It took only 13 minutes for Church's squad to double its lead.
Sophomore substitute Carey Goodman chased down a lackadaisical Wolfpack defender, stole the ball and slid it past the helpless goalkeeper. Goodman's goal typified the afternoon, as Duke consistently outworked and outplayed its Triangle-area rival, outshooting the Wolfpack (8-3-1, 0-1) 13-4 in the first half.
The second 45 minutes looked much like the first. The Blue Devils employed diverse offensive tactics to keep their opponents on their heels. They worked well on the wings, as the Duke midfield beat the Wolfpack to balls at both ends and mercilessly fired crosses that often came close to finding the net.
In addition to the more conservative, outside-in passing the Blue Devils like to utilize, they took more chances down the center of the field, exploiting the 5-foot-8 Gummersall's physical advantage over the smaller N.C. State centerbacks.
"It was like a center against a point guard," Church said.
Gummersall showed she is more than just a target player in the 76th minute. Spotting a slit in the defense, she delivered a beautiful through ball to freshman Cody Newman, who streaked down the sideline and put it away for her first ACC goal.
"It felt really good," the rookie remarked about her first conference tally. "I was happy to break through, finish it and get the 3-0 lead."
Along with the stellar offensive performance, the Blue Devils defended well, reinforced by senior goalkeeper Cassidy Powers. Her total of three saves belied her complete domination of the penalty area. Only two minutes into the second half, she stopped an N.C. State breakaway and squelched its best scoring chance.
"She probably had more action this afternoon than she's had," Church said. "She did her job, and she did it very well."
The side effects of the in-state rivalry reared their ugly head in the form of belligerent attitudes and physical play. After an hour of laissez-faire officiating, the referee doled out a yellow card to each side midway through the second half.
Sunday's 3-0 win and the level of play could give Duke a boost for its next match against North Carolina Oct. 2.
"It was a tough game to come back after Thursday night," Church said. "As the game progressed, we got better and better."
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