Blue Devils Take Down Charlotte, 3-0, to Advance

Saturday, November 12

Durham, N.C.

1:00 PM

Duke University

13-4-3

Charlotte (NCAAs First Round)

11-9-2

Charlotte

Duke

Blue Devils Take Down Charlotte, 3-0, to Advance

11/12/2016 5:06:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score WS Ella Stevens Interview 11-12-16 WS Highlights: Duke 3, Charlotte 0 WS Toni Payne Interview 11-12-16 WS Robbie Church Interview 11-12-16 Boxscore: Duke 3, Charlotte 0

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – Fueled by a goal and two assists from senior Toni Payne and freshman Ella Stevens, the third-seeded and 14th-ranked Duke women's soccer team downed Charlotte, 3-0, Saturday, Nov. 12 to advance to the second round of the NCAA Championships.

The Blue Devils (13-4-3) are fortunate enough to be able to host the second and third rounds of the NCAA Championships Friday, Nov. 18 and Sunday, Nov. 20. Times and opponents are still yet to be determined.

With the victory, Duke won its 13th straight NCAA Tournament home match at Koskinen Stadium and advanced to the second round in 13 out of the last 14 appearances.

“We started off great,” said Duke head coach Robbie Church. “We were fantastic the first 20 minutes. Then it's been a little bit of a problem, we've let off the gas some during the season. I thought it all came from the defensive side. We locked them in and they couldn't get out of their half of the field. There was about a 25-minute spell I wasn't happy with. In the second half, I thought we were really, really aggressive all day. This late in the season, NCAA Tournament, you have to be aggressive the whole 90 minutes.”

The Blue Devils started on the attack from the opening kickoff and never looked back. In the fourth minute, senior Christina Gibbons took a couple of touches around the nine-year mark in front of the goal, but her shot sailed over the crossbar for the first shot of the match.

Duke registered the first three shots of the match before getting on the board. Freshman Olivia Erlbeck passed to a streaking senior Toni Payne, who then found an open freshman Ella Stevens. A native of Grayson, Ga., Stevens then took advantage of the opportunity and finished into the right corner to give the Blue Devils a 1-0 advantage in the 11th minute.
“I think lately Robbie has been putting me a little bit deeper where I'm not the highest player and I think I work well when I can turn and play through balls,” said Stevens. “I think that's what I am best at. It was finally having that freedom, and Toni and Imani making great runs, and all the forwards they were doing great and I was able to find them.”

After Duke added a few more shots, Charlotte was awarded a penalty kick in the 29th minute as an offensive player was taken down near the end line. For the 49ers, Martha Thomas stepped up and hit the crossbar on her attempt. The Blue Devils would escape and continued to lead 1-0.

Blue Devil junior Schuyler DeBree showed some great moves pushing forward and got through the Charlotte defense and into the box. DeBree, who hails from Fair Haven, N.J., sent a great cross across the box where sophomore Kat McDonald tried a header, but it went just high over the crossbar.

At the end of the first half, Duke led 1-0 and held a 9-2 advantage in shots. Gibbons, a native of Raleigh, N.C., led the Blue Devils with three shots, while Stevens and junior Ashton Miller added two attempts each.
Duke came out in the second half and stretched its lead to 2-0 quickly as junior Morgan Reid found Stevens, who played a through ball to a streaking Payne. After taking a couple of touches, Payne flicked the ball over Charlotte goalkeeper, Anna Shelden's head and into the back of the net.

“What a great combination,” commented Church. “That was just kind of how we play - little touches, little give-and-go and little combination plays. It was nice to see Toni gave her [Ella] the ball and scored and she gives Toni the ball back. That's how we've been, we share. The frontrunners have done a really great job of sharing the ball.”
A product of Birmingham, Ala., Payne needed her 21st career goal with the strike.

“I think me and Ella have been playing together all year, and I think we have worked really we playing together,” commented Payne. “We have gotten the rhythm trying to find each other.”

The Blue Devils would put the match away in the 69th minute as Payne and Stevens found freshman Mia Gyau at the top of the box where she connected on her first collegiate goal to give Duke a 3-0 lead.

For the match, Duke outshot Charlotte, 15-3, with Payne and Gibbons each attempting a team-high three.

“All of us knew we were going to have to come out hard, Charlotte is a great team,” said Payne. “I think that us coming out with an aggressive mentality is what was going to help us win today and I think that we all had the mindset we were going to go out hard.”

Duke netted its 10th shutout of the season and goalkeeper EJ Proctor posted her ninth of the year, which is tied for third-most in school single-season history. The backline of Chelsea Burns, Lizzy Raben, DeBree, Reid and Gyau along with the rest of the squad continues to play excellent defense.

The Blue Devils will play the winner of the Michigan/Illinois State match Friday, Nov. 18 in Durham, N.C.

“It's awesome that we have home field advantage,” said Stevens. “It's nice to not have that on our legs. At this point we are just worried about the next game; we aren't looking too far ahead. We are ready to play.”

Notes:

• Freshman Ella Stevens now ranks tied fourth on the Duke freshman record charts in points (24), tied fourth in goals (9) and tied sixth in assists (6).
• Goalkeeper EJ Proctor now owns 20 career clean sheets (4th all-time at Duke).

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