After 139 minutes of scoreless play this weekend, the Blue Devils were finally able to breath a collective sigh of relief Sunday after sophomore defender Maddy Haller finally found the back of the net, giving Duke a 1-0 win over Yale.
The goal capped an unusually long stretch of offensive inefficiency for Duke (5-1-1), which dominated Florida International in shots Friday night but came up empty-handed in a 0-0 draw. Sunday, it seemed like it would be more of the same, but Haller scored and the Blue Devils’ defense continued their strong play en route to their fourth straight shutout.
Florida international (3-4-1) is a strong defensive team, and though No. 14 Duke controlled possession and had 31 shots on goal compared to the Panthers’ seven, the Blue Devils were unable to capitalize on their scoring opportunities.
“They had a great opportunity coming in here,” head coach Robbie Church said. “They play a very defensive formation as they play a 4-5-1 and it is a tough formation to break down. We just weren’t that sharp and prepared... which starts with me.”
After their disappointing performance Friday night, the Blue Devils came out aggressively Sunday and continued to dominate the battle of possession, creating several excellent scoring opportunities in the first half. But Yale goalie Ayana Sumiyasu came up with several excellent saves, and it seemed like the game was heading to another defensive stand-off.
Then, in the 30th minute, Duke took advantage of a corner kick. Forward Mollie Pathman floated a pass into the box, and Haller headed it directly into the back of the net for the first goal of her career.
“We had a ton of shots in both games so it’s good to finally see one put in the net,” Duke goalkeeper Tara Campbell said. “When defenders get to go in on corners, it’s always exciting when they score.”
While Haller was able to spark some offense for Duke, the Blue Devils continued their defensive domination. For most of the game, Yale had trouble even pressing their offense into Duke territory and accumulated only seven shots on goal.
However, in the beginning of the second period, the Bulldogs (1-3-0) gained some offensive momentum after several well-struck shots. Yale forward Becky Brown was able to take advantage of a defensive lapse and found herself one-on-one with Campbell, but she aggressively rushed out of the net and made a diving save.
“Tara made a big save when we needed it,” Church said. “That was great to see. It’s been awhile since she’s had to make a big save. We made a mistake in the back, she came up big and that’s what she did for us last year. It was great to see that.”
Campbell and the Duke defense have dominated their opponents lately, and haven’t given up a goal since the game against Stanford August 29.
“I think my back four has been outstanding,” Campbell said. “I can’t say enough about how well our team’s defending has been.”
After the draw against Florida International, the win over Yale was crucial as Duke gets closer to the Duke Nike Classic—and a nationally televised game against Florida—Friday.
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