Duke Advances With 2-1 Win Over Connecticut

Saturday, November 15

College Park, Md.

2:00 p.m.

Duke University

Connecticut (First Round)

Duke Advances With 2-1 Win Over Connecticut

11/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

By: Duke Sports Information

COLLEGE PARK, Md. ? A tip-in goal from senior Marian Dickinson off Laura Suchoski's initial shot sent the No. 8 Duke field hockey team to a 2-1 win over fifth-ranked Connecticut in first round action of the 2008 NCAA Championships on Saturday afternoon at the University of Maryland's Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.

The Blue Devils moved to 15-5 on the season, advancing to their sixth Elite Eight in the past seven seasons as both teams weathered a rain-soaked contest.

“We had a plan going into the game, and in the first half we didn't feel we executed our plan, so we talked about it at halftime and there was a big difference in the game after that,” said head coach Beth Bozman. “Our defense had an exceptional game ? Sammy [Nelson] made some big saves, and the stops that our back line made were very impressive.”

Duke jumped on the board first in the contest, going up 1-0 on the third goal of the season for junior Lauren Miller just under 10 minutes into the game. Miller fired in the shot off a Duke penalty corner that ricocheted off a Huskies defender, the assists going to Marian Dickinson and Brooke Patterson on the set play.

But UConn would rally just two minutes later with their own score off a penalty corner at the 11:50 mark, with Lauren Aird netting her 20th goal of the season for the Huskies off assists from Meghan Wheeler and Jill Kleeblad off the corner to tie it up at one.

The score remained knotted through halftime and until the 55:30 mark in the game, when Suchoski let loose on a hard shot from the top right side of the circle toward the bottom left side of the cage, where Dickinson waited with her stick down to tip it just past the keeper to give the Blue Devils the 2-1 advantage. The goal was Dickinson's 15th of the season, as the senior now needs just one more goal to move into fourth-place all-time on Duke's career list.

The Blue Devils maintained control of the game after halftime, moving quickly in transition and refusing to give Connecticut many opportunities in their own end. The shots had been tied at six in the first, but Duke came back with a 10-6 advantage in the stat column after halftime.

That goal came after four straight penalty corners on Duke's end, as the Blue Devils finally converted to go ahead in the contest. The Duke defense was able to preserve the lead for the remaining 15 minutes, sealing the first-round victory. Duke improved to 3-0 all-time against UConn.

“I think any time you win an NCAA Tournament game it's exciting, and today speaks to the whole season and how we've been working and growing,” added Bozman. “We had a misstep at the end of the regular-season [against Virginia and in the ACC Championships], but we rallied from that and were able to turn it around today.”

Nelson's seven saves in the cage kept the Blue Devils in control and were a career-high for the sophomore.

Bozman needs just two more wins to reach her 100th at the helm of the Duke program. The victory was the 301st of her career.

The Blue Devils will face the hosts and top-seeded Maryland Terrapins tomorrow at 2 p.m. here, after Maryland defeated Albany by a score of 4-2 in Saturday's first game. Duke will be in search of its second upset over the Terps on the road, after earning a 3-2 win in College Park on Oct. 11.

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