Completed Event: Women's Lacrosse at #4 Florida on May 15, 2025 , Loss , 9, to, 11
/
Final
Women's Lacrosse
9
at #4 Florida
11
#4 Duke Gets First-ever ACC Tournament Win In Women's Lacrosse
4/20/2001 1:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
DURHAM, N.C. - Junior midfielder Kate Kaiser (Cockeysville, Md.) tallied
five goals for the third time this season to help Duke earn its first
victory ever in the ACC Tournament on Friday. Duke (12-2) knocked off
sixth-ranked North Carolina 10-5 after opening up a 6-3 halftime lead at the
Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.
Lindsay Stone put Carolina on the scoreboard at the 28:06 mark of the first half to give the Tar Heels the early lead, but Kaiser went on a scoring rampage to tally three goals in a row and give Duke a lead they would not give up. Kaiser drove to the cage twice, drawing fouls on both occasions. She then slotted both of the ensuing free position shots into the upper right corner of the net to give Duke a 2-1 advantage. Kaiser then worked her way into scoring position again, and she once again found the back of the net with a rifle into the top of the goal.
Junior attacker Kelly Dirks (Annapolis, Md.) put Duke up three goals with another free position goal, but North Carolina's Kellie Thompson cut the lead to 5-2 less than a minute later. Senior attacker Claire Finn (Newton, Ma.) scored Duke's final goal of the half at the 4:45 mark, but Thompson again brought the lead to three at 2:12 with her second goal of the game.
The Blue Devils opened up the second half with a solid defensive effort, tallying the first two goals to expand the lead to 8-3. Courtney Rodgers (Potomac, Md.) received a feed from Kate Soulier (Chadds Ford, Pa.) in front of the cage, and she fired the ball into the upper corner at 23:17. Kaiser then made another great individual effort to bring the game to 8-3 with 17:43 remaining.
But North Carolina would not go down without a fight. The Tar Heels rallied with two straight goals in three and a half minutes, bringing the lead once again to three goals. Several key saves from junior goalie Kristen Foster (Ellicott City, Md.) kept the lead intact, as she finished the day with eight saves and just five goals allowed. Duke added two more goals, the final by Kaiser gave her a career-tying five goals on the day, as it advanced to the championship game for the first time in program history.
The victory allowed Duke to maintain its 20-17 lead in the Carlyle Cup, a year-long competition between Duke and North Carolina. Carlyle & Company, a Greensboro-based jewelry company with 38 stores across the country and 12 in North Carolina, has agreed to support the competition for at least three years.
The fourth-ranked Blue Devils will face top-ranked Maryland on Sunday at 12:00 PM in the championship game at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex. Earlier this season, Maryland defeated Duke 18-11 in College Park, but Duke has since regained the services of sophomore defender Meghan Walters (Wyndmoor, Pa.), who was out of action in the first matchup with a broken wrist.
Quoting Duke head coach Kerstin Kimel on Duke's first-ever ACC Tournament
victory...
"It says a lot about the caliber of our team, particularly of my seniors.
They've always been on good teams since they've been at Duke, and I think
they're the winningest class ever. The seniors have gotten us over the hump
and to the next level in that we're ready to play every day. It doesn't
matter who we're playing, where we're playing, or what the conditions are.
It's that hardcore mentality that you try to work so hard as a coach to
develop, and I'm just thrilled."
Players Mentioned
A
/ Women's LacrosseM
/ Women's LacrosseG
/ Women's LacrosseM
/ Women's LacrosseM
/ Women's LacrosseM
/ Women's LacrosseAndie Smith, Duke | Interview | CGN
Thursday, November 13
Kerstin Kimel James Madison Postgame Press Conference 5-9
Friday, May 09
Kerstin Kimel Media Availability 5-7
Wednesday, May 07
Kerry Nease Media Availability 5-7
Wednesday, May 07
