Nabet, Graham Lead No. 4 Duke Past Syracuse, 2-0

Saturday, October 2

Durham, N.C.

7 p.m.

Duke University

8-1-1, 2-1-1

Syracuse

4-6-1, 0-4-0

Syracuse

Duke

Nabet, Graham Lead No. 4 Duke Past Syracuse, 2-0

10/2/2021 11:01:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score BOX SCORE (PDF)ROBBIE CHURCH POSTGAME LILY NABET POSTGAME

DURHAM – Graduate student Lily Nabet and sophomore Maggie Graham each scored their first goal of the season to lead No. 4 Duke to a 2-0 win over Syracuse on Saturday night at Koskinen Stadium.

In front of a crowd of 796 that included 25 former Duke players back in town for alumni weekend, the Blue Devils (8-1-1, 2-1-1 ACC) dominated possession and earned their fifth shutout of the season. Duke finished the night with 17 shots on goal off 27 total attempts while limiting the Orange (4-6-1, 0-4-0 ACC) to just two strikes on target.

"It was nice to get the goals from our midfielders," head coach Robbie Church said. "I thought the keeper played very well for them. We had 27 shots in an ACC game – that's a lot. We had 17 on goal and they had 15 saves. There are some positive things. The negative thing for us right now is the score line. We still have work to do, especially in the final third, but we'll be fine. Sometimes in this game, you don't score goals. It's not from a lack of trying, not from a lack of work and effort out there."

After firing seven shots in the opening 25 minutes and having multiple scoring chances negated by offside calls, Duke took the lead at the 27:25 mark on Nabet's second career tally. A Blue Devil corner was cleared by the Orange defense, but Nabet corralled it just outside the top of the 18-yard box and worked herself free for a look at goal. The Los Angeles, Calif., native drilled her shot past Syracuse goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx and into the lower right corner to put Duke on the board.

The Blue Devils kept the pressure on the Syracuse back line following the goal and earned several more opportunities before halftime. In the 40th minute, a scramble in the box led the ball to senior Marykate McGuire five yards from goal, but her shot was deflected out of play by Proulx.

Proulx finished the match with 15 saves, marking the most stops by a goalkeeper facing Duke this season.

The Blue Devils remained aggressive offensively to open the second half, peppering Syracuse with eight shots on goal over the 45-minute frame. Graduate student Caitlin Cosme had a chance at her third goal on a free kick this season when she lined one up from 30 yards out in the 54th minute, but she sent her shot just over the crossbar.

Duke struck again at the 55:15 mark on a play started by senior Mackenzie Pluck. Pluck raced into the left side of the box and played a hard cross towards the back post, where Graham tracked it down and buried her third career goal that gave the Blue Devils a cushion for the final 35 minutes.

Proulx was busy the rest of the way, fighting off numerous shots that included two off the foot of sophomore Grace Watkins. The Orange's lone shot of the half came in the 72nd minute, when a Kendyl Lauher attempt from long range appeared to be heading high of the net before dipping under the crossbar. Junior Ruthie Jones was alert to it, however, and collected one of her two saves for the evening.

The Blue Devils are next in action on Thursday, Oct. 7, when NC State makes the short trip to Koskinen for a 6 p.m. match on ACC Network.

NOTES

The 2021 season marks the 21st at Duke for head coach Robbie Church, where he is now 264-132-60.
Duke improved to 6-0-1 all-time against Syracuse.
Duke's 8-1-1 start is tied for the second-best record through 10 games in program history. The Blue Devils began the 2011 and 2017 seasons with a 9-1-0 mark, while the 1994, 2008 and 2018 Duke squads shot out to an 8-1-1 ledger.
The Blue Devils are now 6-0-0 at home this season and 42-4-7 at Koskinen Stadium since the start of the 2017 campaign.
Graduate student Lily Nabet notched her second career goal in the 28th minute. Nabet's first tally as a Blue Devil also came against the Orange, as she scored in a 4-0 win on Sept. 16, 2018 at Syracuse.
Sophomore Maggie Graham now has three career goals, all against Syracuse. She recorded a brace in last season's matchup, helping Duke pick up a 4-0 road win on Oct. 18, 2020.
Junior Ruthie Jones has 17 saves to just two goals allowed in Duke's last five matches. The Charlotte, N.C., native owns an ACC-leading .848 save percentage this season.