No. 9 Duke and #14 Boston College Battles To 0-0 Draw

Thursday, September 25

Durham, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

Duke University

8-1-1, 0-0-1ACC

Boston College

6-1-2, 0-0-1ACC

OT 3

OT 4

#14/15 Boston Coll.

#9 Duke

Powers Earns Soccer America Team of the Week Accolades

No. 9 Duke and #14 Boston College Battles To 0-0 Draw

9/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. ? In the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opener for the ninth-ranked Duke women's soccer team, the Blue Devils battled to a 0-0 draw against 14th-ranked Boston College at Koskinen Stadium on Thursday evening.

On a very windy, misty and cool evening, both squads featured a very defensive contest with a total of 23 shots in 120 minutes. With the draw, Duke moves to 8-1-1 overall and 0-0-1 in the ACC, while Boston College moved to 6-1-2 overall and 0-0-1.

“We missed three sitters -- perfect opportunities,” said Duke Head Coach Robbie Church. “The speed of play was faster than we were playing with and we had a couple of balls caught underneath our legs. We worked hard to create them, but we didn't finish the opportunities.”

In the first half, Boston College had the wind at its back and held a 5-3 shot advantage. Neither team featured any excellent scoring chances, while Elisabeth Redmond attempted all three shot attempts for the Blue Devils.

“We didn't play as well as we are capable of in the first half,” said Church. “I thought we were a step slow in the first half. In the second half and both overtimes we played very well. We had good opportunities, but we didn't finish them.”

Duke came out in the second stanza with the wind at its back and changed formations to feature three forwards. The Blue Devils had two excellent scoring opportunities off the leg of senior Kelly Hathorn early on but the Durham, N.C., product couldn't get the ball past Eagle goalkeeper Jillian Mastroianni.

With the winds help, senior Christie McDonald sent a long free kick towards the goal in the 63rd minute and it looked like Mastroianni would grab the ball but it slipped through her hands. Mastroianni then dove and stopped the ball before it went in the net.

KayAnne Gummersall notched two shots in the first overtime, while Redmond added another as Duke outshot the Eagles, 3-2, in the 10-minute period. In the second overtime, freshman Cody Newman fired a left-footed shot that Mastroianni grabbed, which was the only attempt of the period.

For the match, Duke held a 13-10 shot advantage and 8-2 lead in corner kicks. Boston College finished the match with a 24-14 lead in fouls. The Blue Devil offense, which ranks sixth nationally, was held scoreless for the first time this season.

In goal for the Blue Devils, senior Cassidy Powers played the entire 120 minutes and netted two saves. Mastroianni added eight saves. For Powers, it was her third career shutout. Duke defense continued its stellar play at home as the Blue Devils have yet to allow a goal at Koskinen Stadium in six matches.

“We know every ACC game is going to be a battle, we are going to have to fight for every goal and defend for our lives,” said McDonald. “Unfortunately, we didn't come out with the win. It was a hard fought game from both teams.”

Duke will continue its six-game homestand on Sunday, Sept. 28 with a 2:00 p.m., league match against N.C. State. The contest will be aired live on ACC Select. For more information, head to ACCSelect.com.

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