Sportswrap is your one-stop shop for everything Duke athletics, where we’ll recap how each of Duke’s sports currently in competition performed over the last week and give a brief look ahead. Here’s our recap for the week of September 11-17.
Football
Then-No. 21 Duke finished off its three-game homestand unbeaten as it defeated Northwestern 38-14 Saturday. It was a complete effort on both sides of the ball and the Blue Devils (3-0, 1-0 in the ACC) outgained the Wildcats 487-267. Junior quarterback Riley Leonard threw for 219 yards, while also running for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Graduate running back Jordan Waters chipped in with two scores of his own and the Duke rushing attack was virtually unstoppable. Redshirt senior wide receiver Jalon Calhoun had the best game of his season, hauling in five receptions for 112 yards — including a remarkable 34-yarder. While the defense gave up its most points all year, the unit stifled Northwestern, especially on the ground. Senior linebacker Dorian Mausi was the star of the day, recording 10 tackles which led all Duke players. The new AP poll has the Blue Devils ranked No. 18, their highest ranking since 1994. Next up for Duke is its first road matchup of the year, a date with UConn this coming Saturday at 3:30 p.m. -Ranjan Jindal
Women’s soccer
No. 15 Duke extended its win streak to three as it took on UNC Greensboro before kicking off ACC competition at Boston College. After a weather delay pushed the Sunday game to Monday evening, the Blue Devils (5-2, 1-0) earned a 1-0 victory against the Spartans off a late second-half goal from senior Maggie Graham. Head coach Robbie Church’s squad then headed north to Chestnut Hill, Mass., Sunday for its first conference game of the year against the Eagles. The contest was decided a mere three minutes in, with sophomore Carina Lageyre putting the ball away for her first career goal and Duke’s fastest tally of the season. The sophomore from Cooper City, Fla., netted the brace as well to give the Blue Devils the 2-0 victory. The squad will return home Thursday for another ACC matchup against No. 13 Notre Dame at 7 p.m. -Mackenzie Sheehy
Men’s soccer
The eighth-ranked Blue Devils traveled to Clemson this weekend looking to extend their unbeaten regular season streak to 24 games. But the Tigers had other plans, sending Duke (4-1-1, 1-1) back home with a 2-0 loss. In the early stages, Clemson looked the more dominant side, forcing Duke into turnovers all over the field. The Tigers took advantage 19 minutes into the match as a dangerous cross forced Antino Lopez into an own goal. From there, the Blue Devils had chances, the most threatening of which being a knuckleball by sophomore Kenan Hot that hit Clemson’s crossbar. However, head coach John Kerr’s squad was unable to break through, and the Tigers’ Tyler Trimnal glanced a header past freshman Julian Eyestone and into the back of Duke’s net with 16 minutes to play to seal it. Following the defeat, Duke will continue its ACC play, traveling to North Carolina for a Saturday night matchup. -Garrett Spooner
Field hockey
No. 9 Duke is now undefeated for two weeks in a row courtesy of its statement 4-0 win against No. 6 Syracuse Friday and 1-0 win against Old Dominion Sunday. Sophomore Alaina McVeigh ruled the day against the Orange, scoring two goals in the second half. Her 8 goals over 7 games is tied for sixth in the nation. The Blue Devils (6-1, 1-0) came out less hot on Sunday, but with under four minutes to go in the third quarter, sophomore Brynn Crouse found the back of the net to extend their win streak to four. Senior goalie Piper Hampsch also earned her second shutout in a row. Duke hits the road to take on Boston College in Chestnut Hill this Friday at 5 p.m. -Audrey Davies
Cross country
The Blue Devils trekked to Cary, N.C. this weekend for the Adidas XC Challenge. At Friday’s meet, the men placed third out of 17 teams with 86 points, six shy of William and Mary in second. Junior Conor Bohrer led the way with a personal-best time of 18:36.0 in the 6k, while the sophomore duo of Nick Falk and Jeremy Kain finished with times of 18:37.8 and 18:38.0, respectively. Junior Beck Wittstadt and senior Zach Barry completed the Blue Devils’ top five. The women’s 5k only featured one Blue Devil, junior Hope Frost, who earned a top-50 finish with a personal best time of 19:00.6. The rest of the Blue Devils race Saturday at the Virginia Invitational in Charlottesville, Va., where both teams placed second last year. -Tyler Walley
Volleyball
The good times keep rolling for the Blue Devils. Duke (9-2) faced three trials this week against N.C. Central, Coastal Carolina and Santa Clara and emerged victorious in each — without conceding a single set. Graduate student Jess Robinson led the Blue Devils Saturday evening against the Broncos with 19 kills and two blocks in perhaps her best showing in Durham. Up next for Duke is a Friday clash with 2023 Final Four participant Pittsburgh at 6:30 p.m. -Andrew Long
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