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 Oct. 16-22:
Football
No. 20 Duke hit the road Saturday for its toughest test of the season so far in the Sunshine State, battling No. 4 Florida State for three quarters before surrendering 21 points in the fourth to lose 38-20. Junior quarterback Riley Leonard made his return as a starter but struggled before limping off with a reaggravated ankle injury, effectively spelling the end of the Blue Devils’ hopes at bolstering — or even protecting — their lead. This was made tougher as Seminole signal caller Jordan Travis lit Duke (5-2, 2-1 in the ACC) up for 268 yards on the ground and 68 in the air, furthering his case for the Heisman Trophy. The Blue Devils will need to regroup quickly following the defeat, as a 3:30 p.m. clash at one-loss Louisville awaits Saturday. -Andrew Long
Men’s basketball
The Blue Devils stepped back onto Coach K Court Friday night for the first time since their elimination from the NCAA tournament for the program’s annual Countdown to Craziness. Hungry to be back in action, the players did not hold back. Friendly fire launched all over the court as team Blue battled team White in an epic Countdown showdown. Team White clinched a strong 33-18 victory against team Blue, with returners Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor and Kyle Filipowski showing off their old tricks all together in white while the freshmen got their feet wet at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Next up, Duke will play one more showcase, this time against UNC Pembroke Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. before the regular season kicks off. -Sophie Levenson
Women’s basketball
At Countdown to Craziness, the new-look Blue Devils played in a brief eight-minute scrimmage. The 10 players on the roster split up into two teams, as the White team defeated the Blue squad 15-5. The victorious bunch featured the third-ranked prospect in the class of 2023, Jadyn Donovan, and sophomore transfer point guard Taina Mair. Donovan showed off her aggressive play style with multiple steals and an and-one finish off a rebound. Junior guard Reigan Richardson was the leading scorer for team Blue with five points. Duke opens up its season with an exhibition against Wingate Nov. 4 before its first regular-season matchup — a home contest versus Richmond Nov. 6. -Ranjan Jindal
Men’s soccer
It was a one-game week for the ninth-ranked Blue Devils, as they traveled to No. 23 Pittsburgh Saturday to take on the Panthers on the road. Despite a litany of chances for both squads, the final score of the game was a scoreless draw. Stellar play from both keepers, including a series of consecutive acrobatic saves from freshman Duke goalie Julian Eyestone, ensured that neither team would see the back of the net. The Blue Devils (8-3-2, 3-3-1) are now nearing the end of their regular season, and are set to take on Howard and Virginia Tech at home this week before the ACC postseason begins. -Martin Heintzelman
Women’s soccer
It started with elation and ended with heartbreak. In the penultimate week of the regular season, Duke earned its second ACC win of the year against Virginia Tech in a 1-0 road matchup Thursday before being dominated at home by No. 1 Florida State 4-0 Sunday afternoon. In the victory against the Hokies, freshman Phoebe Goldthwaite put the tally away in the 26th minute for her first career goal. Coming into the weekend with momentum, the Blue Devils (6-6-3, 2-4-3) were quickly stopped in their tracks by the Seminoles. Redshirt junior Kaitlyn Zipay opened the scoring for Florida State in the 30th minute off a cross from freshman Jordynn Dudley before senior Onyi Echegini added two second-half goals to put the game away. Junior Taylor Huff also earned a tally on the day. For Duke, senior keeper Leah Freeman had a season-high eight saves. The Blue Devils will now go on the road again Thursday for their final regular-season contest against Louisville, looking to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament. -Mackenzie Sheehy
Field hockey
The third-ranked Blue Devils only had one matchup this week as they finished out their home campaign with a 2-0 win against UConn Sunday afternoon, cementing an impressive 8-1 record at Jack Katz Stadium across the season. Rebounding from its painful two-overtime loss the Sunday prior against Virginia, Duke stormed out of the gate this time around, with sophomore Alaina McVeigh putting the Blue Devils up 1-0 only 12 minutes in before doubling her total later on. McVeigh’s brace moved her to 16 goals on the season, tying her for 21st in single-season goals at Duke. The Blue Devils finish up their regular season in a momentous matchup against No. 2 North Carolina Friday in Chapel Hill. - Anna Newberry
Swimming and diving
Duke’s first meet of the season ended in a split, with the women defeating No. 17 Virginia Tech 183-117 and the men coming up on the short end of a 166-120 score. Ali Pfaff, Catherine Purnell, Kaelyn Gridley and the women’s 400 IM relay all took home first-place finishes, while the men’s team saw promising races from both Blake Johnson and Michael Jiang. The Blue Devils also put up a strong showing in the diving well, with Margo O’Meara and Charles Berman flipping their way to first place in the 1-meter. Men’s and women’s diving also swept both of the 3-meter podiums. Duke will return to Durham Friday to host its next meet against UNC Wilmington, where the women will look to continue their success while the men fight for their first victory of the season. -Abby DiSalvo
Volleyball
Duke had a mixed road trip this week as the Blue Devils fell 3-1 to No. 13 Georgia Tech Friday before rebounding with a resounding straight-set win against Clemson Sunday afternoon. Although the matchups advance Duke (13-8, 4-6) to 4-6 in the ACC, with the loss Friday, Duke now has lost six consecutive matchups against the Yellow Jackets. On a brighter note, with the 3-0 victory Sunday, graduate setter Emma Worthington achieved 2,500 assists in her collegiate career, with 38during the game. Worthington was helped offensively by sophomore Kerry Keefe, who recorded 18 kills Sunday. Duke next returns home Wednesday to face North Carolina in the first of two matchups against the Tar Heels. -Newberry
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