Completed Event: Women's Lacrosse at #4 Florida on May 15, 2025 , Loss , 9, to, 11
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Final
Women's Lacrosse
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at #4 Florida
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Flashback: Duke Wins First ACC Tournament
4/26/2020 1:17:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
Sunday would have been the finals of the 2020 ACC Tournament for the 2019-20 Duke women's lacrosse team. Let's take a look back at Duke's ACC Championship in 2005, where the Blue Devils topped the Cavaliers to take home the crown. Check out the original GoDuke.com release here.
Duke, the top seed in the ACC Tournament, won its first-ever ACC women's lacrosse championship over second seed and defending national champion Virginia, with a 9-6 win in Baltimore, Md.
The Blue Devils never trailed in the contest and earned their first postseason win over a Virginia team.
Junior Katie Chrest, the ACC Player of the Year, was named ACC Tournament MVP and became the first women's lacrosse player in ACC history to earn the league's Rookie of the Year (2003), Player of the Year (2005) and Tournament MVP awards. Head coach Kerstin Kimel was named ACC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in eight years.
"They believed in themselves from the opening whistle, that they were going to win this game," Kimel said. "This is something we haven't had. We haven't had an ACC Championship. This group really embraced that and we agreed together that we were going to do everything we had to do today to make it a reality.
Duke pulled out to an early, 3-0, lead just eight minutes into the game. Rachel Stanford opened the scoring tally of a Kristen Waagbo assist. Chrest closely followed with two unassisted scores.
The Cavaliers scored four of the next five goals to tie the game at 4-4 going into the half.
Just eight seconds into the second half, Stanford scored to give Duke the lead for the final time. Seven minutes later, Chrest assisted Leigh Jester to extend Duke's lead to 6-4.
"That game was certainly a highlight of my career," Chrest reflected. "I remember it being a total team effort. Our defense was amazing that game, and we were firing on all cylinders offensively. What sticks out most is having a ton of fun on the field with my teammates, but it is always great to beat UVA so that made the victory even sweeter."
Virginia scored two of the next three to make it 7-6, but the comeback was stopped there. Waagbo scored the final two goals of the contest including a score at the 1:14 mark came from Stefanie Sparks and ensured the Duke victory.
"As a college lacrosse coach, I am always talking to my current players about the 2005 ACC Championship I was a part of," Waagbo said, who is currently the head women's lacrosse coach at Army West Point. "It was a special team. We had great senior leadership and fearless underclassmen.
"One of the moments forever engrained in my head is when Stef Sparks and I connected for one of the last goals of the game, which ultimately helped seal the victory. Stef, one of the most intense individuals I've ever met, jumped in my arms like a koala-bear and was screaming affirmations in my face pertaining to us finishing the game and winning."
Caline McHenry secured Duke in the defensive third with four caused turnovers and two ground balls. Megan Huether made 11 saves against her six goals allowed for a successful day in the cage.
Five Blue Devils were named to the All-Tournament team: Chrest, Huether, Jester, McHenry and Sanford with Chrest taking home MVP honors.
"There was such a sense of relief and accomplishment after that game," Chrest continued. "We celebrated together knowing that we had finally accomplished something that no other Duke women's lacrosse team had achieved. We had been working so hard for that moment and it was so gratifying to celebrate that."
"I will never forget the intensity of those final minutes of the game and the feeling of achievement and hard work paying off that followed that final horn," Waagbo remembered. "The smiles on all of my teammates faces while celebrating the historical victory are etched into my head."
#GoDuke
Duke, the top seed in the ACC Tournament, won its first-ever ACC women's lacrosse championship over second seed and defending national champion Virginia, with a 9-6 win in Baltimore, Md.
The Blue Devils never trailed in the contest and earned their first postseason win over a Virginia team.
Junior Katie Chrest, the ACC Player of the Year, was named ACC Tournament MVP and became the first women's lacrosse player in ACC history to earn the league's Rookie of the Year (2003), Player of the Year (2005) and Tournament MVP awards. Head coach Kerstin Kimel was named ACC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in eight years.
"They believed in themselves from the opening whistle, that they were going to win this game," Kimel said. "This is something we haven't had. We haven't had an ACC Championship. This group really embraced that and we agreed together that we were going to do everything we had to do today to make it a reality.
Duke pulled out to an early, 3-0, lead just eight minutes into the game. Rachel Stanford opened the scoring tally of a Kristen Waagbo assist. Chrest closely followed with two unassisted scores.
The Cavaliers scored four of the next five goals to tie the game at 4-4 going into the half.
Just eight seconds into the second half, Stanford scored to give Duke the lead for the final time. Seven minutes later, Chrest assisted Leigh Jester to extend Duke's lead to 6-4.
"That game was certainly a highlight of my career," Chrest reflected. "I remember it being a total team effort. Our defense was amazing that game, and we were firing on all cylinders offensively. What sticks out most is having a ton of fun on the field with my teammates, but it is always great to beat UVA so that made the victory even sweeter."
Virginia scored two of the next three to make it 7-6, but the comeback was stopped there. Waagbo scored the final two goals of the contest including a score at the 1:14 mark came from Stefanie Sparks and ensured the Duke victory.
"As a college lacrosse coach, I am always talking to my current players about the 2005 ACC Championship I was a part of," Waagbo said, who is currently the head women's lacrosse coach at Army West Point. "It was a special team. We had great senior leadership and fearless underclassmen.
"One of the moments forever engrained in my head is when Stef Sparks and I connected for one of the last goals of the game, which ultimately helped seal the victory. Stef, one of the most intense individuals I've ever met, jumped in my arms like a koala-bear and was screaming affirmations in my face pertaining to us finishing the game and winning."
Caline McHenry secured Duke in the defensive third with four caused turnovers and two ground balls. Megan Huether made 11 saves against her six goals allowed for a successful day in the cage.
Five Blue Devils were named to the All-Tournament team: Chrest, Huether, Jester, McHenry and Sanford with Chrest taking home MVP honors.
"There was such a sense of relief and accomplishment after that game," Chrest continued. "We celebrated together knowing that we had finally accomplished something that no other Duke women's lacrosse team had achieved. We had been working so hard for that moment and it was so gratifying to celebrate that."
"I will never forget the intensity of those final minutes of the game and the feeling of achievement and hard work paying off that followed that final horn," Waagbo remembered. "The smiles on all of my teammates faces while celebrating the historical victory are etched into my head."
#GoDuke
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