It wasn’t for a lack of trying, but Duke could not find the back of the net for most of the game Thursday. And though the final score may not reflect it, the Nike Classic nightcap was a nail biter until the final 20 minutes.
The No. 12 Blue Devils took down Marquette 2-0 at Koskinen Stadium, extending their shutout streak to 335 minutes. The Blue Devils shot 17 times before true freshman Mackenzie Pluck got behind her defender and juked Golden Eagle goalkeeper Maddy Henry for the first goal of the game and her third on the season.
Redshirt sophomore goalie Brooke Heinsohn secured her fourth shutout in five games in the victory.
“I’ve been around a long time and I’ve seen a lot of games and, you know I really wasn’t [worried] because I thought we were playing really well,” head coach Robbie Church said. “Obviously we didn’t score the goals but we created a lot of opportunities.”
From the beginning of the match, the Blue Devils (3-1-1) dominated the field, getting to the ball faster and acting as the aggressors on both ends of the field. Duke outshot the Golden Eagles 22-4 for the night. Due to rushed shots and passing up wide-open opportunities, however, only nine of those shots were on goal.
Even when it seemed like the Blue Devils were sure to score after numerous mistakes by Marquette’s backline, Henry was there to make the save for the Golden Eagles (0-3-1) , collecting a season-high seven in the match.
Once Pluck finally got one past the goalie, the game opened up for Duke’s front line. Just five minutes after Pluck’s goal, freshman Marykate McGuire dribbled into deep Marquette territory before crossing the ball to junior Ella Stevens, who spun and shot into the back left netting for her first goal of the season.
“I knew we were eventually gonna get a goal, I think we just kept a positive mindset, we didn’t get too down on each other when we missed our opportunities,” Stevens said. “When it came then we kind of took a breath and we're like ‘Okay, let’s play.’”
Stevens had a late start to the 2018 campaign, missing all of Duke’s preseason due to injury. Since returning to the squad, Stevens has put continued to apply pressure to her opponents. Although she hadn’t scored until Thursday, her activity on and off the ball has created opportunities for the rest of her teammates to cash in.
“[Stevens is] such a creative player,” Church said. “What an assist to set up the first goal, and then scoring the second goal.... She’s just a big-time player.”
Church was also happy with the way his freshmen stepped up against the Golden Eagles. Pluck’s late-game goal marked her second time scoring in clutch moments, as she scored the game-winning goal to beat Ohio State in Duke’s opener.
If her performance in her first few games for the Blue Devils are any indication for what she has in store for her collegiate career, Duke will have few problems filling the hole left by Imani Dorsey.
McGuire also impressed Church with her aggression and poise. The Portsmouth, R.I., native, who already has a goal on the season, shot twice in her 50 minutes of action and made for a constant threat in the final third.
“I thought Mackenzie Pluck was really dangerous in the second half...she’s a very talented player and we recruited her for being able to beat players off the dribble, so I thought she did well,” Church said. “Marykate just works her socks off every time she steps on the field... She’s a little frustrated, you know as a forward you wanna score goals, but hers will come.”
The Blue Devils will play their second game of the Duke Nike Classic against Providence on Sunday at 2:30 pm as they hope to put together a weekend of two wins for the first time this season.
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