DURHAM – Senior
Delaney Graham scored in the 43rd minute and No. 1-seeded Duke held off a late charge from Memphis to earn a 1-0 win in the second round of the NCAA Championship on Friday at Koskinen Stadium.
In front of a season-high crowd of 3,595, the Blue Devils (15-3-1) posted their second consecutive shutout and advanced to the Round of 16 for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons. Duke will face St. John's, which defeated Samford in penalty kicks on Friday afternoon, on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Koskinen.
After a number of early chances that included a point-blank opportunity for sophomore
Sophie Jones that was deflected wide in the 28th minute, Duke broke through at the 42:17 mark on Graham's first goal of the season. Freshman
Michelle Cooper played a ball into the midfield for sophomore
Maggie Graham, who quickly sent a through pass behind the Tigers' defense for her sister Delaney to catch up to. The senior from Atlanta, Ga., sprinted towards the box and beat Memphis goalkeeper Elizabeth Moberg to the ball before drilling her right-footed shot into the back of the net.
It marked Graham's first tally since her overtime game-winner at Boston College on Oct. 15, 2020 – snapping a 31-game stretch without a goal.
Maggie Graham picked up her second assist of the season, while Cooper collected her fifth helper on the year and now owns 25 points in her freshman campaign.
Though Memphis (14-5-2) prodded the Blue Devil back line in the latter stages of regulation, the Tigers were unable to break through for a clean look at goal. They fired their lone shot on target in the 54th minute when Momo Nakao sent one towards the upper left corner, but junior
Ruthie Jones was equal to the task and calmly made the stop.
Jones recorded her ninth complete-game shutout of the season and boasts an .836 save percentage.
The Blue Devils improved to 44-22-11 all-time in the NCAA Championship and 13-6-2 in second-round matches. In NCAA Championship contests played in Durham, Duke is 24-2-1.
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