Few opponents have had the opportunity to score on the Blue Devils this season.
Virginia Tech (8-4-1, 0-3-1 in the ACC) fared no better Sunday as No. 4 Duke (12-1-1, 4-0-1) held its opponent scoreless for the tenth time this season, earning a 1-0 victory at Koskinen Stadium despite a sluggish start.
The Blue Devils began uncharacteristically slow, allowing the Hokies to control possession early. Virginia Tech dominated the midfield and was able to play the ball into Duke’s 18-yard box often. In contrast, the Blue Devils, who came into the game leading the ACC in shots attempted, took only one shot through the first 29 minutes of match. To add to Duke’s offensive frustration, freshman Kelly Cobb—who leads the team in goals—left the game in the 14th minute after re-aggravating a right shoulder injury.
Going into the final twenty minutes of the half, however, the momentum shifted in the Blue Devils’ favor. Head coach Robbie Church made a number of substitutions, putting in a new front line—Cobb returned and Molly Lester and Chelsea Canepa entered—and bringing redshirt sophomore Kim DeCesare into the midfield.
“I thought the people that came off the bench really added a spark,” Church said.
That spark quickly produced the defining play of the game. In the 31st minute, DeCesare played a ball in from near midfield to the left side of the box. Canepa won the ball in the air, heading it back into the middle. Her pass landed at the feet of wide-open sophomore Kaitlyn Kerr, who passed the ball into the right side of the net for her fourth goal of the season.
“I know Chelsea’s great at winning headers,” Kerr said. “So, I thought it was going to come back to me and just tried to place it.”
Kerr’s strike proved the difference on the scoreboard, but Duke’s defense was the reason the team escaped with a victory. Throughout the game the Blue Devils took only 14 shots, which tied their season low. The Duke backline, however, which has let in only five goals all season, played to form and deterred almost every threat from the Hokies. All four starting defenders broke up numerous Virginia Tech opportunities in the final third of the field.
“I think what’s making us successful,” sophomore Natasha Anasi said. “We’re playing together and communicating well and making sure that if anything’s breaking down, we’re able to fix that on the field and do it quickly,”
Anasi led by example, blocking several crosses from the corner, heading away nearly every ball played toward her and sparking a number of offensive chances with precise passes up the field.
“I think Natasha is just playing at an unbelievable level ... cleaning things up, starting our attack,” Church said.
In addition to the strong defensive effort, the Blue Devils benefited from another solid performance by junior goalkeeper Tara Campbell. Campbell made two saves and broke up several crosses on her way to recording her ninth shutout, tying the record for a single-season.
“[Virginia Tech] served a lot of balls and put a lot of balls behind us,” Church said. “Tara was there. She had good positioning.”
Campbell’s presence also provided the defense with the leadership to maintain their intensity level throughout the entire game, even as the Hokies became aggressive in the final minutes searching for an equalizer.
“I think it’s easy for us to stay focused just because we have leaders like Tara who are in the back...calming us down and communicating that it is okay and we just need to keep playing our game,” Anasi said.
Through veteran leadership—Campbell and three of the four starting defenders are juniors—Duke’s defense earned another victory. Nevertheless, the slow offensive day left the Blue Devils wanting more.
“We’re proud but we’re not satisfied,” Kerr said.
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