DURHAM, N.C. – After notching the go-ahead goal from freshman Ashton Miller late in the second period, the Duke women’s soccer team (7-6-1, 3-2-1 ACC) was able to hang on and hand Wake Forest (3-8-2, 1-4-1 ACC) a 2-1 loss at Koskinen Stadium Sunday afternoon.

 

Entering the match on a 366:51 scoring drought, Duke was able to get on the board early, thanks in part to a fresh face in the lineup. Senior Katie Trees, starting for the first time since her sophomore season, found sophomore Toni Payne at the 5:39 mark to give the Blue Devils the early lead. The assist was the first of the season for Trees, while the goal gave Payne her team-leading fifth score of the year.

 

Wake Forest was able to dominate the corner kicks battle throughout the match, earning a 9-3 advantage during the contest. With less than 10 minutes to go before halftime, the Demon Deacons took advantage of one of their five first half corner kicks. Kendall Fischlein sent a perfect ball into the box and found Claudia Day for the header to knot the game up at 1-1 at the 36:38 mark.

 

At the end of the first stanza, the Blue Devils held a 7-6 shot advantage. 

 

Duke came out of the half and made the necessary adjustments to the Demon Deacons’ set plays. Wake Forest used a corner kick at the 61:17 mark, which led to four straight shots, but the Blue Devil defense held strong and kept the match tied. 

 

“They’re so dangerous on corners,” head coach Robbie Church said. “(Wake Forest Head Coach) Tony (da Luz) does an unbelievable job on set plays every year, but this year they’re just huge. I thought we did a really good job.”

 

Just as new starter Trees sparked the first goal, it was Miller, not in the starting lineup for the first time as a Blue Devil, who gave Duke the late lead with just over 15 minutes to play. The freshman from Okemos, Mich., assisted by fellow freshman Schuyler DeBree and Payne, was able to send the long header into the net for her first career goal.

 

“I saw Schuyler dribbling up the line on the left side and we just made eye contact,” Miller said. “She served it in and it was a pretty nice ball to my head. I had a pretty good pace on it, so all I had to do was get a good redirection on the ball.”

 

For the match, the Blue Devils outshot the Demon Deacons, 14-12, while Wake Forest held a 9-3 advantage in corner kicks. Payne led Duke with six shots, while senior Kelly Cobb added three attempts. 

 

Redshirt junior Ali Kershner collected two saves over 90 minutes of action to get the win in goal.  The Blue Devil defense added two saves as well. 

 

The Blue Devils will continue their stretch of home games with three more matches at Koskinen Stadium. Duke will host rival North Carolina Sunday, Oct. 19 at 3:30 p.m. That match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

 

Notes:

• Redshirt sophomore Danielle Duhl registered her second start of the season in the midfield.
• Duke snapped its scoreless streak, which dated back to the NC State match Sept. 25. 
• Redshirt senior Gilda Doria made her second consecutive start in the midfield.

 

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