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5 p.m.
Field Hockey
vs Stanford
Sunday, September 4
Newark, Del.
11:30 AM
Duke University
2
vs
0
Drexel
No. 15 Duke Shuts Out No. 18 Drexel, 2-0
9/4/2011 2:36:00 PM | Field Hockey
NEWARK, Del. – For the second time in as many days, the 15th-ranked Duke field hockey team picked up a win at Delaware's Rollo Stadium, this time blanking No. 18 Drexel, 2-0, Sunday afternoon. The Blue Devils received goals from junior Devon Gagliardi and sophomore Emmie Le Marchand, while senior goalkeeper Samantha Nelson turned back three Drexel shots to register her first shutout of the season and 13th of her career.
Duke (3-1) picked up where it left off in Saturday's 5-2 victory over host Delaware, controlling the tempo in the first half. The Blue Devils outshot the Dragons 13-1 in the opening period, while also posting a 5-0 advantage in penalty corners. However, Duke was unable to break through the Drexel defense and the two teams headed into halftime with the score knotted at 0-0.
“Today was a really good battle,” said head coach Pam Bustin. “We did a great job of keeping our composure and staying on task. We could've had a feeling of frustration today because we had a lot of attack opportunities; we controlled most of the game, but we just didn't get the finish. We kept believing that eventually the opportunity would come and we were fortunate we capitalized on two great chances in the middle of the second half.”
The Blue Devils broke the stalemate in the 49th minute as Gagliardi netted a goal, her third of the season, from 15 yards out on the right side to put Duke up 1-0.
Two minutes later, Le Marchand tipped in a cross from senior Tara Jennings to pad the Duke advantage to two goals with 20 minutes to play. Jennings was credited with the assist, her first of the season, while Le Marchand, who led the Blue Devils with eight goals a year ago, recorded her team-leading fourth goal of 2011. The two-goal cushion was all Duke would need as the defense kept Drexel off the board the rest of the way.
“Drexel is a very dangerous attacking team,” added Bustin, “and I thought we did a wonderful job covering for one another and getting numbers behind the ball on transitions. Especially towards the end of the game, [Drexel] really went through their transitions quickly and their free hits were very quick. Our weak side players were prepared to get back and underneath the ball. We tried to keep our numbers up defensively and it worked today.”
Duke held the advantage in both shots (20-8) and penalty corners (7-5) for the contest. The win also marked the Blue Devils' second victory over a ranked opponent this season as Duke also topped No. 6 Ohio State in the season opener.
Next up, the Blue Devils welcome Wake Forest to Williams Field Saturday, Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. in Duke's home and ACC opener. Duke will also play host to Longwood Sunday, Sept. 11 at 1 p.m.
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