DURHAM, N.C. – Behind a first half goal from freshman Kayla McCoy and key saves down the stretch from sophomore goalkeeper EJ Proctor, the 16^th-ranked Duke women’s soccer team took down 15^th-ranked Southern California, 1-0, Friday evening in the Duke Nike Classic at Koskinen Stadium.

 

With the victory, Duke improves to 4-0-1 on the year, while Southern California falls to 2-2-0. 

 

Duke started the match on the attack as junior Toni Payne fired a shot that went high just six minutes into action.

Less than two minutes later, freshman Taylor Racioppi fed a great through ball in-between two Trojan defenders.  Southern California goalkeeper Sammy Jo Prudhomme came up to meet the ball but misplayed it as McCoy was challenging.  McCoy, a product of Lincolnwood, Ill., took the ball and drove to the left around the keeper and finished in the open net to give Duke a 1-0 advantage at the 7:07 mark.

 

The goal for McCoy was the fourth of the season for the rookie.  Duke freshmen now own eight of the Blue Devils’ 12 goals score on the year as Racioppi also has four tallies. 

 

Southern California would take control of the match over the following 25 minutes of the first half as the Trojans attempted the next seven shots, including to great chances by Mandy Freeman and Natalie Donaldson, but Blue Devil Proctor made two great saves.

 

Racioppi added a shot to conclude the first half, but it went high.  At the end of the first stanza, Southern California held an 11-7 shot advantage.  Proctor had four saves for the Blue Devils in-between the posts. 

 

In the second half, the Blue Devils opened play with two shots off the legs of Christina Gibbons and Payne, but both went wide.  McCoy added another great opportunity but her attempt sailed high 18 minutes into action. 

 

Proctor, who hails from Wilson, N.C., came up big again in the 81^st minute as Southern California’s Morgan Andrews fired a right-footed shot from the corner of the box, but the Duke keeper made a diving stop to her left to deflect the ball outside the post. 

 

Southern California continued to put pressure on the Duke defense but the Blue Devils held tight and came away with their fifth straight shutout to open the 2015 campaign, which matches a school record.  The last time Duke opened the year with five straight clean sheets was in 1997. 

 

For the match, Proctor collected seven saves and recorded her third straight shutout on the season.  She has yet to allow a goal over 388:44 minutes. 

 

Southern California outshot the Blue Devils, 11-7, for the match.  Payne and McCoy led Duke with two shots on the night.  The seven shots were a season low in the early season.  

 

In the first contest of the evening, third-ranked North Carolina tied 25^th-ranked California, 1-1, in double-overtime.

 

The Duke Nike Classic will close play Sunday, Sept. 6 as North Carolina takes on Southern California at 11:00 a.m., followed by the Blue Devils versus California at 1:30 p.m.   Both matches will be aired live on ESPN3 at Koskinen Stadium.

 

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