Duke Falls at Penn in Regular Season Finale

Friday, April 29

Philadelphia, Pa.

7:00 PM

Duke University

Penn

Six Blue Devils Tabbed IWLCA All-South Region

Duke Falls at Penn in Regular Season Finale

4/29/2011 9:51:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

By: Duke Sports Information

PHILADELPHIA – After trading goals over the first 22 minutes of play, the 10^th-ranked Quakers utilized a 7-2 run over the end of the first half and beginning of the second to distance themselves from the fourth-ranked Blue Devils as Penn defeated Duke 13-10 Friday night from Vidas Field on the campus of Drexel University.

With the loss, Duke has now lost back-to-back games for the first time since March of 2008 as the Blue Devils drop to 13-4 on the year. Penn moves to 10-3 in 2011 with the victory.

Redshirt junior Emma Hamm, Duke's leading scorer with 45 goals this season, paced the Blue Devils with four goals and an assist for the evening. Senior Sarah Bullard also recorded a hat trick, while junior Kim Wenger tallied two goals. Freshman Maddy Morrissey connected on a free position shot in the first half to round out the Duke scoring contingent.

In addition, senior Christie Kaestner dished out three assists, bringing her team-leading total to 40 this season. With her performance, Kaestner, who sits at No. 2 in the Duke record books for career assists, joins Kristen Waagbo as the only two Blue Devils to ever record 40 or more assists in a single season.

The Quakers, who tied a season high with 13 goals, received hat tricks from three players in Meredith Cain, Caroline Bunting and Bridget Waclawik, while also leading Duke in shots (24-21) and draw controls (14-11) for the game.

Penn opened the game with a goal from Waclawik one minute and 38 seconds into the action, but the Blue Devils responded with Hamm's first goal of the night off a feed from Kaestner. The two squads continued to trade goals over the next 22 minute with Hamm tying the game at five-all late in the first half.

But the back-and-forth affair would come to an end as the Quakers posted back-to-back goals to ignite a 4-1 Penn run. Duke ended the Penn streak with 19 seconds left in the first half on Wenger's first goal, also assisted by Kaestner, to head into the intermission trailing 9-7.

However, the momentum would not carry over to the second stanza for the Blue Devils as the Quakers scored three unanswered to begin the half. Bullard ended the run with her 20^th goal of the season with 24:18 to go, but Cain responded for Penn to give the Quakers a five-goal advantage heading into the final 20 minutes of the game.

Duke got on the board with 10:27 to play and again with 5:08 remaining on goals from Bullard and Hamm, respectively, but the Penn defense was able to limit the Blue Devils in their comeback attempt.

The Blue Devils must now await selection to the 2011 NCAA Tournament, which will be announced Sunday, May 8.

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