Duke’s struggles continued as the Blue Devils lost their ACC opener against Wake Forest 3-2 at Williams Field Saturday.
The No. 3 Demon Deacons controlled possession and created more scoring opportunities than No. 11 Duke—which was without star defender Lauren Miller—and a late Blue Devil rally fell short.
The loss came after a rough weekend in which Duke (3-2) not only lost a game to Drexel but also senior captain Miller, an All-American defender, to a hand injury.
“We are probably the youngest team I’ve ever coached and we had the opportunity to take this game without Lauren Miller,” head coach Beth Bozman said. “I think we are going to get better every game and it’s just the kind of season it is. We just have to keep fighting and clawing for everything. “
Tough defense by both teams kept the game scoreless until the 29th minute, when Wake Forest midfielder Raisa Schiller broke the 0-0 tie. Despite being outshot 9-5, Duke had plenty of opportunities to score in the first period, including a penalty corner with 45 seconds left in the half that a Wake Forest defender was able to deflect just above the cage.
The Demon Deacons (4-1) extended their lead to 2-0 at the start of the second half when Lizzie Rae scored on an assist by forward Kim Romansky. After the goal, Duke played more intensely on both sides of the ball—the Blue Devils held their opponent to just three shots in the period, and managed to score twice themselves.
Amie Survilla put the Blue Devils on the board in the 62nd minute, but Romansky answered with a quick goal of her own just two minutes later.
Survilla tallied her second strike with 1:32 left, but the game was already out of reach.
In the contest, Duke failed to score on all five of its penalty corners, including two that came back-to-back with 13 minutes left in the game.
“We need to shoot a little more,” Bozman said. “We missed such great opportunities.”
The Blue Devils’ youth was evident Saturday, and at cerntain poitnts in the game there were only two upperclassmen on the field.
Duke’s inexperience, in addition to Miller’s absence, will likely remain a reccuring theme throughout the season that Bozman hopes her squad can overcome.
Duke returns to action Saturday when it takes on Longwood.
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