Duke Falls In Quarterfinals Despite Second-Half Comeback

Saturday, May 16

Philadelphia, Pa.

1:00 p.m.

Duke University

Penn (Quarterfinals)

Team USA Earns Top Seed In 2009 Federation Of International Lacrosse Women's World Cup

Duke Falls In Quarterfinals Despite Second-Half Comeback

5/16/2009 4:00:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

By: Duke Sports Information

PHILADELPHIA ? Despite scoring the first seven goals of the second half to erase a five-goal halftime deficit, the fifth-seeded Duke women's lacrosse team dropped its NCAA Championships quarterfinal match-up to No. 4 Penn in overtime, 10-9, Saturday afternoon at Drexel University's Vidas Field in Philadelphia. The loss knocked the Blue Devils out of the tournament and leaves their season record at 15-6, while the Quakers improve to 15-2 on the year.

This marks the second year in a row that Penn has eliminated Duke in overtime, following last season's 9-8 overtime contest in the semifinals.

"I definitely want to congratulate Penn ? they played a hell of a game," said head coach Kerstin Kimel, who coached her 24th tournament game today. "I'm also really proud of our girls. We dug ourselves a really good hole in first half, but we chipped away and put ourselves in position to win both at the end of regulation and in overtime. We just couldn't finish. This is a tough way for our senior class to end."

Duke was led on the offensive end by junior Lindsay Gilbride with four goals, while Danielle Kachulis added a pair and Caroline Cryer, Sarah Bullard, and Jess Adam each scored one for the Blue Devils. Cryer turned in a game-high four assists to finish with five points, while Gilbride and Emma Hamm each added one helper.

Penn's Becca Edwards led the way with her four goals, including the eventual game-winner in the second extra period. Ali DeLuca notched a hat trick for Penn.

Penn opened the game on a 4-0 tear, using patience on the offensive end to find the best shot available against the pesky Duke defense. DeLuca got the Quakers on the board first at 27:23, which was followed 1:20 later by a score for Becca Edwards.

Penn keeper Emily Szelest made two point-blank saves to keep Duke off the board early, while the home team went up 3-0 on another Edwards goal that was followed by a Penn draw control and its fourth goal at 18:27 from Ivy League Rookie of the Year Erin Brennan. The Blue Devils called timeout to get organized, but Penn continued to play tough defense to prevent a Duke score on its next time down.

The Blue Devils tacked on their first goal of the game at 15:36 ? ending a drought of over 14 minutes ? on a goal for Kachulis and the assist going to Hamm. The sophomore found Kachulis streaking through the middle for her fifth goal of the season.

Duke then cut the Penn lead in half at the 14:13 mark, when Gilbride took a pass from Cryer stationed behind the goal and sent it past Szelest to make it 4-2.

But the Quakers responded with the game's next three goals that would close out the first frame, the first one at 9:19 for Edwards' third of the game, followed by an unassisted tally for Brennan and a free position goal for DeLuca with 2:19 remaining before the break to make it 7-2.

Szelest ended the first half with six saves as the Quakers took the five-goal advantage into the locker room.

Duke keeper Kim Imbesi came out and stopped the first shot she faced in the second half after Penn had won the opening draw of the period. Kachulis then carried the ball into the attacking end and converted on an unassisted goal for her second of the game to bring it to 7-3 with 27:28 on the clock.

The Blue Devils went on the stage the dramatic comeback ? tallying six more goals in a row after Kachulis' and holding Penn scoreless until the 7:51 mark after nearly 25 minutes between goals.

Gilbride and Cryer hooked up for the next goal at 22:12 to make it 7-4 when Gilbride fired it past the keeper into the top of the cage, causing Penn to use a timeout. Imbesi then made a stop on Penn's next possession, before senior captain Jess Adam found the scoring column off a pass from Cryer at 18:12 to bring the Blue Devils back within two at 7-5.

Duke's fourth straight came via a Gilbride free position goal with 16:36 left to cut the Quaker lead to just one at 7-6. It was Bullard who then tied the game for the first time since the contest started, when she made the most of a free position shot that she bounced past Szelest. It was a new ballgame at seven apiece with 14:44 on the clock.

The Blue Devils took their first lead of the game at 12:31 when Cryer scored off a pass from Gilbride to push it to 8-7. Duke went up by its largest margin at 9-7 with 9:11 remaining ? Gilbride from Cryer ? that prompted a Quaker timeout and capped the Blue Devil run.

Penn won the draw there after a Duke foul was assessed, and DeLuca scored to snap the scoreless streak and cut it to 9-8. Penn's Emma Spiro then tied it at nine with 7:03 left.

It appeared that Penn took the lead back at 4:12, but Brennan's stick was called illegal and the goal was called off. Duke would stall for the next four minutes in hopes of getting the last shot, but Gilbride's look went high and Hamm scooped it up to keep the Blue Devil possession. Cryer then worked through the fan and fired a shot in as time expired, but the ball hit the crossbar and the game was headed for overtime.

Penn won the draw after another Duke foul, and would hold the ball but turned it over with a minute to go in the first 3:00 overtime. Gilbride's shot was saved with just eight seconds left in the first overtime and it remained 9-9.

Penn won the second draw in overtime, firing a shot with 1:50 showing that Imbesi batted away. Penn would earn the ball back following a Duke turnover and with just five seconds remaining Edwards sent the game-winner past Imbesi to give the Quakers the 10-9 edge without any time left for Duke to notch the equalizer.

Penn ended up winning the draw, 12-11, and fired two more shots in the game. Both keepers came away with nine saves. Both Cryer and Hamm won four draws for the Blue Devils.

Today marked the Blue Devils' second overtime game of the tournament after a regular-season with no overtime contests. But this game saw a different result after the 15-13 overtime win over Virginia in the first round at Koskinen Stadium.

The Blue Devils fail to advance to the squad's fifth straight Final Four. Duke is now 13-12 all-time in the NCAA Championships, with 2009 marking the team's 12th straight trip to the postseason. The series with Penn is now even at two apiece in their histories.

Penn will go on to face the four-time defending champion Northwestern Wildcats in the semifinals on Friday, May 22, in Towson, Md. Northwestern defeated Princeton on Saturday.

NOTES: The two first-half goals today was Duke's fewest in a half this season ... the Blue Devils were without senior Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Carolyn Davis, who tore her ACL in the first round game ... freshman Kim Wenger earned the first start of her career versus Penn.

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