DURHAM, N.C. -  In a matchup of two of the top scoring teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), No. 4 Duke and No. 7 Virginia battled to a 0-0 double-overtime draw on Thursday evening in front of 1,305 fans at Koskinen Stadium.  

The match featured a total of 40 shots, including 20 by the Blue Devils and two that went off the crossbar by Duke standout freshman Kelly Cobb.  Duke moved to 11-1-1 overall and 3-0-1 in league play, while Virginia went to 8-2-2, 2-1-1.  

“It was a heck of an exciting nill-nill game,” said Duke Head Coach Robbie Church.  “Obviously, we would like to finish those [shots], but their goalkeeper is very tall and very good.  We hit balls high.  We talked about balls had to be low.  This is part of our game.  We can play hard and not finish.  I was proud of our effort.  I thought we played well, created opportunities but didn’t stick it in the back of the goal.”

Virginia opened the match with a shot in the first two minutes, but Duke came back to register three consecutive attempts by Cobb, junior Nicole Lipp and sophomore Gilda Doria.  In the 29th minute, Virginia leading scorer Caroline Miller got open but Duke junior goalkeeper Tara Campbell dove to stop Miller before she was able to get a shot off.

Campbell, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, made another stop in the 33rd minute as Miller fired an attempt that Campbell dove to her right and saved.  

At the end of the first half, Duke and Virginia were all knotted at 6-6 in shots, while Campbell had two saves for the Blue Devils in goal.

“The first half, we really didn’t connect as many passes as we needed to,” said Church.  “We did a better job in the second half.”

Virginia came out in the second half and took the first three shots of the stanza before Duke had its best chances of the match so far.  Cobb started it off with a blast that went off the crossbar in the 54th minute from long distance.  

“Sometimes you just have bad luck with shooting and every striker has an off day,” said Cobb.  “Unfortunately, it was today [for me].  I am going to work on Friday and Saturday and hopefully come out against Virginia Tech with a different mentality and be able to put away my opportunities I have.”

Then in the 55th minute, sophomore Mollie Pathman and Doria fired shots that were blocked before Pathman sent an attempt wide.  Virginia responded with two shots from Morgan Brian, but one was blocked and the other was saved by Campbell.  Campbell made another stop in the 62nd minute off the leg of Miller.  

Junior Maddy Haller found a streaking Cobb in the 72nd minute, but Cobb sent a shot that went just high.  Brian added another shot in the 85th minute, but was saved by Campbell.  

As time was winding down in regulation, junior Erin Koballa kept a ball from getting away from the Blue Devils while on attack and it settled to Cobb.  A native of Chugiak, Alaska, Cobb blasted another shot that went off the crossbar and landed near the left post where sophomore Laura Weinberg tried to beat Cavalier goalkeeper Chantel Jones to the ball but wasn’t able to.

Weinberg took two straight shots in the first overtime that went wide and then Duke sophomore Kaitlyn Kerr was taken down by a Cavalier defender at about the 23-yard mark.  Pathman took the free kick and sent it just over the crossbar.  Erica Hollenberg added another attempt for Virginia that Campbell was just able to get her hand on and knock over the crossbar in the 99th minute.  

In the second overtime, Miller and Brian took the first two shots of the period but one was blocked and the other went high.  Cobb attempted both of Duke’s shots in the period but couldn’t get anything past the tough Virginia defense.  

The Cavaliers made one final run in the 108th minute as Miller took a great shot from 35 yards out and Campbell just got a finger on it to tip it over the goal.

“If you look at the statistics of that game, it might come across a little lopsided -- it was 20 shots - 20 shots, I had eight saves and she had four saves,” commented Campbell. “But I think our chances were better than theirs.  I had eight saves but a couple were just catching the ball.  Whereas we hit the crossbar twice.  I just think it was just unlucky we didn’t get a goal in that game.”

For the match, both teams finished with 20 shots.  Campbell was huge in goal for the Blue Devils as she finished with a season-high eight saves.  She posted her eighth shutout of the season and 22nd of her career on the night.  Jones finished the match with four saves for Virginia.

“She has really elevated her game this year,” said Church on Campbell’s play.  “She has taken it to a different level than she has had.  When we needed her, she was really able to come up with the big save back there.  I thought they hit a couple of balls and I went ‘ooh’ - then she made a couple of those things look easy with the save.  She is one of the top goalkeepers in the country.  We have to give her a little more help up front and finishing some things.”

Cobb matched a season high with eight shots for Duke, while Pathman added four and Kerr attempted three.  

“We each had good chances, but I thought we had some of the better chances and obviously knocking them off the crossbar,” commented Church.  “Against a quality goalkeeper, you can’t put things high, compose ourselves better and put things on the ground.”

The Blue Devils will remain at home on Sunday, Oct. 2 as Virginia Tech will come to town for a 2:00 p.m., match.

Duke Notes:

•  Virginia held a 12-4 advantage in corner kicks.
•  The overtime match for Duke was the first of the season.
•  Duke was held without a goal for only the second time this year (Auburn).

 - d - u - k - e -

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