Sportswrap: Football opens with big victory, women's soccer blanked at Stanford

Football

It was one for the ages. The previously unranked Blue Devils took down mighty then-No. 9 Clemson. Duke fans packed Wallace Wade Stadium Monday night for the season opener, and head coach Mike Elko and his squad delivered. It was the team’s first top-10 victory since the two programs squared off in Durham in 1989. The Blue Devils (1-0, 1-0 in the ACC) beat the Tigers 28-7 after a second-half blast from the offense and lockdown play from the defense. Junior quarterback Riley Leonard threw for 175 yards while running for 98 more, including a 44-yard dash down the right sideline into the end zone. Senior safety Jaylen Stinson shone on defense with nine tackles and a 55-yard fumble recovery and return. The win earned Duke a No. 21 ranking in the Week 2 AP Poll which it will take with it Saturday night as Lafayette takes its turn in Wallace Wade. -Rachael Kaplan

Women’s soccer

Then-No. 10 Duke traveled to the West Coast for a matchup Saturday against then-No. 3 Stanford, a preview of a soon-to-be ACC opponent in coming years. Despite playing in the Golden State, things were anything but sunny for the now-14th-ranked Blue Devils (2-2) as they were shut out by the Cardinals in a 4-0 defeat. Senior goalkeeper Leah Freeman had a season-best four saves, while sophomore Devin Lynch led the team with four shot attempts. Phenom Kat Rader, who had scored in each of Duke’s previous contests on the year, had no attempts on the evening as Stanford’s defense locked her down. The Blue Devils return home for a matchup Thursday against East Carolina with a chance to put a tally back in the win column. -Mackenzie Sheehy

Men’s soccer

It was a solid week for the 10th-ranked Blue Devils, who opened with an unexpected tie against a Wofford squad that has yet to win a game. From there however, Duke (3-0-1) recovered. Head coach John Kerr's squad traveled up the East Coast to take a 2-0 victory at Princeton, as freshman forward Ulfur Bjornsson scored his first goal as a Blue Devil. Duke will take the field again Friday when it opens up conference play at home against Virginia. -Martin Heintzelman

Field hockey

Then-No. 20 Duke traveled to College Park, Md., this weekend to take part in the annual ACC/BIG Cup, taking on then-No. 3 Maryland Friday and then-No. 2 Northwestern Sunday. The first contest against the Terrapins ended with a major upset as the Blue Devils’ junior midfielder Logan Clouser scored with 1:08 left in the game to earn the 2-1 victory. The second matchup against the Wildcats was hard fought throughout, but now-No. 13 Duke (2-1) fell in a 3-2 loss after going up 2-0 in the first period of play. Clouser earned a tally for the Blue Devils once more, while sophomore Alaina McVeigh earned a goal in each of the two games as well. Duke returns home Friday for a contest against Longwood before taking on Liberty in Sunday’s Morgan’s Message game. -Sheehy

Cross country

Cross country started strong out of the gate Friday at the Elon Opener, with both teams sweeping their respective races to take first. On the men’s side, the upperclassmen trio of Austin Gabay, Rory Cavan and Jared Kreis finished in first, second and third respectively, each separated by a tenth of a second. Meanwhile, the women’s team saw impressive performances from graduate student Emily Cole, who finished first with a time of 13:11.3, and senior Kelli Wilson, who improved on her previous best by over a minute. Next, Duke  travels to Cary, N.C., for the Adidas XC Challenge Sept. 15. -Tyler Walley

Volleyball

The Blue Devils collected two wins this week, continuing their momentum from the victory against then-No. 18 Creighton last week. Duke (3-2) began its home slate Thursday with a 3-1 win against Loyola Maryland, capturing the 1,000th win for the program. Sophomore hitter Kerry Keefe proved integral in the win as she recorded a career-high 24 kills. In a close match Saturday, the Blue Devils defeated West Virginia, 3-2, even after trailing 10-3 in the deciding fifth set. Duke wrapped up its homestand with a 3-0 victory against Elon.  -Anna Newberry