The No. 25-ranked Hurricane women’s soccer team lost to the Duke Blue Devils Thursday, 4-2. The game was determined in the second half, in which the Blue Devils dominated, outscoring the Canes 3-1 to seal the victory.
This marked only the second time that the Hurricanes have allowed more than one goal in ACC play.
With the win, Duke snaps a three-game winless streak and now sits only one point back of Miami in the ACC standings.
The Canes struck first as senior Lindsay Curtin notched her second goal of the season in the 21st minute in Durham, N.C. The goal came from 22 yards out on a corner kick from sophomore defender Jessica Wyble. However, the lead wouldn’t last long as Duke junior Kelly Hathorn scored only 38 seconds later.
Miami appeared to control the first half, out-shooting Duke 10-6. The Canes started off strong offensively, finding their passing lanes and outplaying the Blue Devils on both sides of the ball. Despite the strong start, the Hurricanes found themselves heading to the locker room at halftime with the game tied at one.
“I think a lot of nerves set in during the first half,” Duke Coach Robbie Church said. “We didn’t connect many passes and we played erratically.”
The second half was a different story, with the Blue Devils out-shooting the Canes 13-5. Duke freshman Rebecca Allen, who did not play in the first half, came in and made a major impact, scoring two of Duke’s next three goals.
“I missed her,” Church said. “I forgot her on the sidelines [in the first half].”
In the 60th minute, Allen scored a perfectly placed shot from 22 yards out. The Blue Devils would take the lead and score two more goals in both the 70th and 74th minutes to clinch the win. Duke sophomore CJ Ludemann also had a strong game with a goal and two assists.
Miami freshman defender Brittney MacDonald scored her first goal of the season on a header in the 86th minute from senior Sheuneen Ta.
In the end, Duke’s offensive attack proved to be too much for Miami’s back line.
This was only the third game of the season in which freshman Brittney Steinbruch did not record a point. Steinbruch, who has scored 35 points in the ACC, trails only Mami Yamaguchi, a junior from Florida State.
The Canes senior goalkeeper Lauren McAdam finished with four saves in the game.
The team will prepare for the ACC Women’s Soccer Championship to be held in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
Rory Lincoln may be contacted at r.lincoln@umiami.edu.