No. 11 Duke Falls, 3-2, to Central Florida

Sunday, August 30

Chapel Hill, N.C.

1:00 p.m.

Duke University

1-2-0

Central Florida

2-1-0

Central Florida

Duke

No. 11 Duke Falls, 3-2, to Central Florida

8/30/2009 4:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Duke Sports Information

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The No. 11 Duke women's soccer team closed the weekend at the Nike Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C., with a 3-2 loss to Central Florida on Sunday at Fetzer Field. The Blue Devils lost their second straight contest to fall to 1-2 on the season, while Central Florida improved to 2-1.

Duke opened the contest firing at Central Florida as the Blue Devils took the first six shots of the contest. After Central Florida had its first shot attempt of the match in the 22nd minute, Duke's Jane Alukonis and KayAnne Gummersall had shots prior to the Blue Devils notching the first goal of the contest by Cody Newman in the 29th minute.

Senior Elisabeth Redmond fed Gummersall running down the right side of the field, who then passed it back to the left to Newman. A product of Bellerose, N.Y., Newman beat UCF goalkeeper Aline Reis to the corner for her first goal of the season.

"I'm very proud of how we started the game off from a tough loss to UNCG on Friday night and we started off great and had a great first half," said Duke Head Coach Robbie Church. "We showed signs and glimpses of what we can be during the year."

Redmond and Alukonis added shot attempts as the half closed out with the Blue Devils leading 1-0. Duke held an 11-2 shot advantage in the first stanza. The Blue Devils lost starting center back Nicole Lipp in the 25th minute of the match with an injury and did not return.

"The Nicole Lipp injury was huge, because she has been one of our top players all year as a back and when she went out it really made us play some more inexperienced players and we're already inexperienced back there, but we didn't recognize that quick enough," said Church.

Central Florida opened the second half with a goal of its own as Courtney Widden found the back of the net at the 47:38 mark. Then in the 75th minute, UCF added a second goal as Yvonne George fired a shot at Duke goalkeeper Tara Campbell who saved the attempt but Widden was there for the rebound and punched in her second goal of the season.

With a 2-1 lead by Central Florida, Duke did not back down as junior Lynnea Pappas came in the match at the 82:48 mark and less than two minutes scored her second career goal as a Blue Devil. Pappas, who is from Parma, Ohio, hit the left corner from 18 yards out with 84:54 on the clock.

Less than two minutes later, Central Florida had a corner kick and Becca Thomas found the head of Stacie Hubbard. Hubbard's header went off the crossbar and into the Duke goal for the game-winner.

"After we worked so hard to tie the game up we just didn't get a good line up back on the field, which was my fault," said Church. "We changed our formations so many different ways to go offensively and I didn't get the defensive players back that we needed to get back and inside and that was my fault, I feel bad for the hard work they put in and things are a little tough for us right now, but we've got to keep working and keep playing, we have no other choice."

Alukonis and Duke sophomore Chelsea Canepa each took shots in the last two minutes of the game but Knights' keeper Lynzee Lee saved both attempts.

Central Florida outshot Duke 10-8 in the second half, but Duke held a 19-12 advantage for the contest.

Campbell, a freshman goalkeeper from Cincinnati, Ohio, finished with two saves in 90 minutes of action. Central Florida's goalkeepers combined for eight saves.

Duke will next return home for a Thursday, Sept. 3 contest against UNC Wilmington at 7:00 p.m., and a Saturday, Sept. 5 game against UNLV at 1:00 p.m.

-d-u-k-e-