Blue Devils Hold Off Tigers To Improve To 5-1

Sunday, March 11

Durham, N.C.

1 p.m.

Duke University

Princeton

Blue Devils Hold Off Tigers To Improve To 5-1

3/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. -- No. 4 Duke (5-1, 0-1 ACC) secured a 16-14 victory over No. 5 Princeton (2-1, 0-0) at home on Sunday. The Blue Devils never trailed and took the lead for good 12 minutes into the game, although Princeton never let Duke get comfortable and take a big lead at any point. Senior captain and midfielder Rachel Sanford and senior attacker Leigh Jester paced the Blue Devils with four goals each on the afternoon.

The last time Duke played at home, on Feb. 25 against William & Mary, the conditions were rainy and windy throughout the game, making it miserable for both sides. On Sunday, however, the temperature was in the upper-60's with clear skies and plenty of sunshine.

On the first face-off, senior midfielder and captain Michelle Menser won the draw control, sprinted up the field, and made a smart pass to Jester who immediately scored only 15 seconds into the game. The two teams would trade the first four goals to knot the game at 2-2 with 22:55 minutes left.

Duke would score the next five goals in a span of two-and-a-half minutes and never trail or tie again. Each of those five goals was netted by a different Blue Devil and even a Princeton timeout in the middle of the stretch could not curb the impressive run.

Princeton would cut the lead to three, go back down by five, cut the lead to three again, go down by four, and finally pull within two to conclude the first half. Three Tigers would finish the half with two goals: sophomore attacker Christine Casaceli, junior attacker Alison Murray and senior attacker Kathleen Miller. Jester, junior attacker Caroline Cryer and sophomore midfielder Carolyn Davis would also net two goals a piece before halftime.

The second half was more of the same for both squads. Duke could not get a lead of more than four, while Princeton was unable to tie the score again and only cut the lead to one for one minute. When that happened, senior attacker Kristen Waagbo promptly scored her only goal of the game with just under nine minutes left and then assisted Jester's fourth goal 20 seconds later to put Duke up 14-11. Sanford added two more goals to her total in the second half, as did Princeton's Miller.

“I was ready to step in and have a big game today,” said Sanford. “Princeton's a great team and they've beaten us twice out of my four years here so it's always good to beat them and to win at home.”

Cryer now has 22 goals in six games for the Blue Devils after tallying three on Sunday. She leads the team in that category, in points scored (27) and in draw controls (17).

Waagbo set the all-time Duke assists record on Feb. 18 against Stanford. She now has 85 career assists after tallying 13 in the first six games. Waagbo is within range of breaking several other records this season as well. She currently has 126 career goals, which puts her in fifth place behind former Blue Devil Lauren Gallagher with 140. Katie Chrest holds the school record with 216. Waagbo's 211 points are third on the all-time Duke list, with Chrest in first with 287 and Tricia Martin in second with 236. The 297 shots Waagbo has taken is good for sixth-best in the program's history, while Kelly Dirks sits in fifth with 299 and Chrest holds the top position with 528.

The next game for Duke will be on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. versus No. 16 Vanderbilt in Koskinen Stadium. The Blue Devils will then travel to Washington, D.C. to take on No. 10 Georgetown on Sun., March 18, at 1:00 p.m.

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