No. 4 Duke travelled to Los Angeles, Ca. for the USC Futbol Classic this weekend looking to notch a pair of wins after falling to Florida last week.
The Blue Devils (4-1) took on a younger Southern California (2-2) squad on Friday evening, winning 2-1 in a closely contested match.
“We play two different styles of play,” head coach Robbie Church said. “Southern California is very direct. They are very big. They are very physical, and they really put us back on our heels the first 20 or 25 minutes of the game.”
The Trojans got off to a quick start, scoring a goal in the sixth minute of the match—only the second first half goal allowed by Duke this season. This quick 1-0 lead off of a corner kick placed pressure on the Blue Devils, who responded with adjustments to spacing and speed of play, which allowed them to regain control going into the break.
“Being down a goal we realized that this is it—we have to be hungry, we have to attack them. We knew that we didn’t play our best first half, so to only be down 1-0, it’s a very achievable comeback,” Duke redshirt junior Kim DeCesare said.
Duke came out of the break as the aggressors, taking three out of the first four shots of the half. Maintaining that offensive pressure, DeCesare posted her first score of the night and her fourth goal of the season off a feed from Laura Weinberg in the 62nd minute, tying the game at 1-1.
Fewer than eight minutes later, DeCesare scored again. Weinberg lofted a corner kick to Gilda Doria, who sent it to the post where DeCesare delivered the goal that gave the Blue Devils a 2-1 lead and sealed the victory. This comeback win marked the 300th victory for the women’s program.
“Kim is a finisher,” Church said. “She is just finishing things around the goal. She can score goals with her head. She can score goals with her feet. She is a goal scorer.”
Duke carried this momentum into Sunday’s match against Washington State, where the Blue Devils dismantled their opponent 4-0.
At the 22nd minute mark, DeCesare once again set the tone for the Duke squad. Off of an assist from Cassie Pecht, DeCesare broke through the defense and went one-on-one against Cougar goalkeeper Clair Gurveen to secure a 1-0 lead. With her three goals this weekend, DeCesare has surpassed her single-season record of five goals, already totaling six this season.
Eighteen minutes later, the Blue Devils stretched their lead to 2-0 with a header by Callie Simpkins, who was assisted by both Maddy Haller and Katy Colas. Going into the half, Duke led 5-2 in total shots taken. This Blue Devil onslaught continued into the second half as DeCesare was fouled in the box just four minutes in and Weinberg netted the ensuing penalty kick to extend the lead to 3-0.
Even with a lead, Duke did not falter and kept attacking the Washington State defense. In the 83rd minute, Simpkins was able to gain control of a loose ball off the second of her back-to-back blocked shots and tap it through the Cougar defense to secure a 4-0 win.
“Our goals for this week were to win two games and it was to win the USC tournament. We were able to accomplish both of those,” Church said.
Blue Devil goalkeeper, Tara Campbell recorded her 28th career shutout with the second victory, edging closer to the Duke record of 34 held by Melissa Carr.
“I think the loss against Florida added a little bit of a spark within us because it is like a wake-up call. You don’t want to peak in the beginning of the season. You want to peak at the end of season. And hopefully the end of the season for us is the national championship,” DeCesare said. “You come across the country and you want to make a statement. You want to show these big time teams in California and across the country what’s up.”
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