No. 4 Duke Falls to No. 12 Liberty, 1-0

Sunday, September 15

Lynchburg, Va.

1 p.m.

Duke University

(4-2)

Liberty

(4-1)

Duke

Liberty

Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 4 Duke Falls to No. 12 Liberty, 1-0

9/15/2024 3:03:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Box Score Photo Gallery

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Twelfth-ranked Liberty scored early in the fourth quarter and held off a furious charge from the Blue Devils, handing No. 4 Duke a 1-0 loss in non-conference field hockey action Sunday afternoon.

The Blue Devils (4-2) outshot Liberty (4-1) 10-0 in the final 11minutes with Flame goalkeeper Michaela Skinner making four saves. Duke held a 14-6 advantage in shots and held a commanding 9-2 edge in penalty corners.

How it Happened

Circle entries were difficult to come by in the opening quarter as Duke and Liberty's stingy defenses were on display. Neither team got a look at goal after 15 minutes with both teams sharing possession over the course of the period.
The defensive battle continued into the second quarter. Duke did well to possess the ball but couldn't find that final pass inside the circle.
The Blue Devils earned consecutive corners late in the quarter with Alaina McVeigh's shot on the latter deflected wide of the cage by the Flames. Liberty continued to fight off the Blue Devils as the top-15 foes entered halftime in a scoreless draw. Duke had the lone shot in the first half.
Liberty broke through for the game's first goal early in the fourth quarter. High pressure from the Flames forced a turnover in Duke's defensive third. Duke goalie Frederique Wollaert denied Martu Cian, but Lou Combrinck was on the doorstep to knock in the rebound for the 1-0 advantage.
Duke came back down minutes later to earn a penalty corner. Kira Curland had a clear look at goal, but had her shot batted down by Skinner. McVeigh's attempt at putting the rebound in the cage skipped just wide right of the goal as Liberty clung to a 1-0 lead.
Skinner registered another big kick save for the Flames late in the quarter, denying Logan Clouser's attempt just inside the circle. The Blue Devils continued to push the pace in search of the equalizer, but ran out of time in the 1-0 setback.
Wollaert finished her day with two saves, while Skinner had five overall.

Notes

Duke moves to 2-2 against top-20 opponents this season and 97-88 against top-20 teams under head coach Pam Bustin.
The Blue Devils shutout streak ended at 216:58 – a span of more than 10 quarters. Duke is now 1-2 in true road games.
The 1-0 victory for Liberty marked the sixth time in the past seven meetings the matchup between the Flames and Blue Devils has been decided by a single goal.

Up Next

Duke returns home to host Saint Joseph's Setp. 22 at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils field hockey, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeFH".

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