Duke Advances to the NCAA Championship Game

December 3, 2011

KENNESAW, Ga. (AP) - Mollie Pathman scored two second-half goals and Duke beat Wake Forest 4-1 on Friday night to advance to the women's College Cup final.

Reserve midfielder Kim DeCesare and Kaitlyn Kerr also scored for the Blue Devils (22-3-1), who will face top-ranked Stanford on Sunday in the title game.

''At this venue, the field is wider so there's more space to be played. I thought both teams got stretched out and didn't play as compact as they should, especially early,'' said Duke coach Robbie Church. ''We did a good job of changing the point of attack and finding our wide players. That really opened the field up for us.''

Rachel Nuzzolese converted a free kick for Wake Forest (18-4-4), which hadn't allowed more than two goals in a game all season long.

Nuzzolese's second-half goal got the Demon Deacons within one, but Duke responded 2 minutes later, taking advantage of a favorable call.

Riley Ridgik was penalized while marking Kerr in the penalty box. Television replays indicated Ridgik was making a play on the ball before both players went down about 18 yards in front of the goal.

Pathman's penalty kick - the first attempted by Duke all season, and the first allowed all season by Wake - gave the Blue Devils a 3-1 lead.

''That girl was fouling me the whole game. I was kind of on a breakaway,'' Kerr said. ''Earlier in the game she pushed me with a two-handed shove, and I went to the ref, like, 'What can you do? That was a foul.' And he said, 'Yeah, I know it was a foul. Keep playing.'

''She kept on doing it and doing it and doing it, and they weren't calling it. She came in hard and got my legs. [The penalty] was deserved.''

Kerr, a sophomore midfielder, became Duke's leading scorer in NCAA action when she sealed the victory with her sixth tournament goal. She has five goals in the tournament this season.

''We recruit the same girls. It's a rivalry,'' said Wake Forest coach Tony da Luz. ''It's pretty heated, and it's getting more heated. Duke's a good, physical team. That's one of their trademarks.''

Duke and Wake Forest faced off for the third time this season. Duke won 2-0 at Wake Forest on Oct. 20, but fell 2-1 to the Demon Deacons in the ACC Tournament on Nov. 4.

The Demon Deacons pressured the Blue Devils early in the game, but Lester put Duke in front midway through the first half when she connected off a corner kick from midfielder Nicole Lipp.

Pathman's first score gave Duke a 2-0 lead in the 57th minute.

Stanford (24-0-1) advanced with a 3-0 win over Florida State, getting a goal and an assist from freshman Chioma Ubogagu.

The Blue Devils and Cardinal are seeking their first national title in women's soccer.