Two freshmen helped anchor the Blue Devil defense, but it was veteran leadership that carried Duke to victory in its season opener.
Senior forward KayAnne Gummersall scored two goals and senior midfielder Elisabeth Redmond added another as the No. 16 Blue Devils (1-0) defeated Gardner-Webb 3-0 Sunday night in Koskinen Stadium.
"We expect at this stage of the year for our seniors to be ahead of some of the other players," head coach Robbie Church said. "It's going to take us a little while....Until we all continue to grow and get on the same page, we're going to have to have those seniors. We're very impressed with them, and that's their job-to be leaders right now for us."
Redmond struck first in the 29th minute, latching onto a long ball from freshman goalkeeper Tara Campbell and chipping it over the head of Bulldogs' goalkeeper Samantha Rupert from 15 yards out.
Barely more than a minute later, Gummersall received a pass in the box from fellow senior Jane Alukonis, played a one-two with sophomore Cody Newman and drove the ball into a wide-open net after dribbling around the goalkeeper.
But Gummersall-Duke's leading scorer in 2008-was not finished yet. With 44 seconds remaining in the first half, she used her head to put the finishing touch on a stellar corner kick from Redmond, as the two players displayed the chemistry that the Blue Devils hope will create many more goals this season.
The pair of seniors continue to leave their mark on Duke's record books as well. Gummersall's two tallies moved her into sixth place on the school's all-time scoring list with 25 career goals. Redmond's assist from the set piece was the 24th of her career, good for second place on the all-time assist list.
The two captains helped mask an otherwise uneven first half for the Blue Devils offensively. Duke had difficulty establishing a rhythm in the opening period and was caught offsides eight times.
"I think we played very, very poorly in the first half, and we were just not as tuned in as we needed to be," said Church. "We're still young, we're still finding the right pieces. I think there was some really, really good play, and I think there was a lack of good decisions."
Nevertheless, the commanding play of Duke's defense took the presure off the offense. The back line held the Bulldogs to four shots in the game-none in the second half--and allowed the Blue Devils to dominate possession and keep the ball in their opponent's half of the field for the majority of the contest.
Freshmen defenders Erin Koballa and Nicole Lipp clearly handled the pressure of their first start in a Duke uniform with poise.
"Our freshmen have really stepped up and stepped into roles, and when we're on the field beside them you would never know that they're freshmen," Alukonis said. "They play as well as everyone else on the field, if not better, and we're really excited to have them."
In the second half, the Blue Devils played a cleaner game, spacing out the Gardner-Webb defense with more precise passing and pressing the Bulldogs (0-2) further into their own half of the field. Even though Duke could not capitalize on any of its 22 shots in the period, Church said he was pleased with the way the team improved its ball movement after halftime.
Moreover, the defense continued to stifle Gardner-Webb's attack until the final whistle. Freshmen Koballa and Lipp had strong games at the back, and fellow newcomers Libby Jandl and Maddy Haller saw some playing time on the back line as well, ensuring that the Blue Devil goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.
"When you look at the score, 3-0, it's great to get the three goals, but what we're most proud of is the zero in the back," Gummersall said. "I thought our back line really stepped up, and to get a quality shoutout our first game is something we're definitely proud of. Our goal going into this game was to be 1-0, and we accomplished that, and to get the shutout just adds to that."
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