Blue Devils Upset No. 1 Maryland On The Road

Saturday, October 11

College Park, Md.

1:00 p.m.

Duke University

Maryland

Blue Devils Upset No. 1 Maryland On The Road

10/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

By: Duke Sports Information

COLLEGE PARK, Md. ? A goal by senior Marian Dickinson off a penalty corner 10 minutes into the second half sent the No. 9 Duke field hockey team to a 3-2 road win over the No. 1 Maryland Terrapins at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex Saturday afternoon. The win was Duke's fifth of the season over a ranked opponent.

Dickinson's score, her fifth of the year, broke the 2-2 tie that was carried into halftime after an action-packed first half. Dickinson took a penalty corner for the Blue Devils, then fired in the rebound off Lauren Miller's initial shot, while the teams then played scoreless for the remaining 25 minutes and Duke held on for the upset.

Duke improved to 9-3 with the win, and 2-2 in the ACC as the Blue Devils won their second straight conference game and third straight overall. Maryland fell to 10-2 (3-1) with the defeat, held to its lowest shot total (nine) of the season.

“I thought we played with incredible passion today,” said head coach Beth Bozman. “This win was really a collective team effort. We certainly could have taken advantage of more of our opportunities we had, but this is a big win for us and we are really happy.”

The victory over the No. 1 program is the highest-ranked opponent Duke has beaten since Oct. 7, 2006, when the Blue Devils also defeated then-No. 1 Maryland on the road, a 2-0 shutout in College Park.

The Blue Devils came out firing in the contest, taking the first three shots of the game before one found the net. But Duke got on the board first with one of Amie Survilla's two scores on the day. The junior sent an unassisted shot in which deflected off a Maryland player to put the Blue Devil up 1-0 just five minutes in.

Less than two minutes later, All-America Susie Rowe tied it up with an unassisted goal, her 15th of the season for the Terps after winning the race to a loose ball. But Survilla struck again three minutes later, her seventh goal of the season on a shot from the right side off the assist from Dickinson.

Rowe would net the second for Maryland as well, tying it up with 17 minutes remaining in the first half off a penalty corner. The squads entered the locker rooms with it knotted at 2-2, setting up Dickinson's game-winner 10 minutes into the second to seal it for Duke.

Duke ended the day up 24-9 in the shot column, countering a Maryland attack that entered Saturday's game first in the ACC in scoring average (4.68), shots per game (21.55), and goals (52), also allowing the fewest goals per game ? one ? in the conference.

Miller and Survilla each took six shots for Duke, followed by three apiece for Laura Suchoski, Susan Ferger, and Dickinson. Samantha Nelson made three stops in the cage.

Maryland's Alicia Grater recorded a career-high 10 stops in the cage to keep the Terrapins close, but Duke held the 15-1 edge in the shot column in the second half. The nine shots was the lowest output of the year for Maryland.

The game was part of the Under Armour “Power in Pink” university series, as the company is a sponsor of both programs and provided pink uniforms. Over 30 basketball, softball, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey teams are participating in the games this academic year to raise awareness of the breast cancer cause.

Duke returns home for a 6 p.m. game against Ohio University on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at Williams Field, followed by a pair on the road next weekend. The Blue Devils will face William & Mary on Fri., Oct. 17 and Old Dominion on Sun., Oct. 19.

On Sat., Oct. 18, in between road games, the Blue Devils are hosting a high school clinic in Virginia Beach at the National Training Center from 3-5 p.m. The clinic is open to all players but space is limited. The fee is $25. See the attached registration form for more details.

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