DURHAM, N.C. – After allowing only four goals over the last six matches, the 22^nd-ranked Duke women’s soccer team gave up four tallies Sunday to seventh-ranked Virginia Tech on its way to dropping a 4-2 ACC matchup at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C.

 

With the loss, the Blue Devils dropped to 6-4-3 overall and 0-2-2 in ACC action.  Duke is winless in its last four matches and hasn’t won since Sept. 17 against Appalachian State, 6-0. 

 

“I am disappointed,” said Duke head coach Robbie Church.  “I was excited and looking forward to the game.  I thought our team had a good week of training.  We have kind of lost something and that something we have to be able to find.  Some of the blame goes on the coaches.  I am not sure if we had the right tactics that we had in the midfield; they seemed to dominate that part.”

 

Virginia Tech (11-1-1, 3-1) got on the board first as Madi Conyers sent a perfect cross in from the right side to a charging Anissa Dadkhah, who rocketed a shot into the top left corner to put the Hokies up, 1-0, at the 15:04 mark. 

 

Duke had its best scoring chance of the first half at the 25:59 ledger as sophomore Imani Dorsey sent a corner kick to sophomore Ashton Miller, who’s attempt was headed off the line by Conyers.

 

Miller had another chance at the 36:12 mark as she charged in off a corner kick by Christina Gibbons, but her attempt went just high over the crossbar. 

 

At the end of the first half, Duke held an 11-8 shot advantage.  The Hokies were very physical over the first 45 minutes holding a 10-3 lead in fouls.

 

Virginia Tech was able to get another on the board in the 50th minute as Duke turned the ball over on defense to the Hokies’ Laila Gray, who fired in her fourth goal of the season to put Virginia Tech ahead, 2-0. 

 

The Hokies capitalized on a corner kick at the 78:08 mark as Jordan Coburn sent a perfect feed to a leaping Murielle Tiernan, who headed in her 10th goal of the season.

 

Duke didn’t pack it in down 4-0 as sophomore Casey Martinez challenged a kick from Hokie goalkeeper Kaylyn Smith.  Martinez, who is a native of Towson, Md., used her body to deflect the ball towards the goal and easily tapped in her second goal of the season in the 83^rd minute.

 

Less than two minutes later, Duke goalkeeper EJ Proctor sent a long kick downfield.  A Hokie player tried to head the ball out of the box, but it went backwards towards the goal and bounced past Smith to cut the lead to 4-2 with five minutes remaining.

 

For the match, Duke held a 17-12 shot advantage with Miller leading the way with a season-high five attempts. 

 

“We have lost this little spark that we are going to have to be able to find back because we are getting to a big point in our season this week when we go on the road at Miami, who just upset Notre Dame, and Louisville,” commented Church.  “We have to come back and work; get better.  We will.  This group of ladies has great character and I know they will come back.”

 

The four goals allowed by the Blue Devils were a season high.  Proctor finished with five saves over 90 minutes of action.

 

Duke will next hit the road for three straight matches.  The first will be Thursday, Oct. 8 at Miami.  It will be aired live on ESPN3 with a 7:00 p.m., start.