No. 14 Duke Falls at Pittsburgh, 17-10

Thursday, February 12

Pittsburgh, PA

2 PM

Duke University

Pitt

No. 14 Duke Falls at Pittsburgh, 17-10

2/12/2026 5:19:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – No. 14 Duke had the game within three with 10:57 left in regulation, but Pittsburgh secured a 17-10 win by scoring five of the final six goals Thursday afternoon inside Highmark Stadium to open ACC action.

Offensively, sophomore Avery Doran led the Blue Devils with a career-high five goals, while junior Bella Goodwin posted five points on two goals and three assists. Redshirt junior Ava Biancardi tallied a personal-best three ground balls to lead Duke, while freshman Quinn Whitaker recorded a team-high two caused turnovers.

Duke drops to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in conference play, while Pitt improves to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in ACC action.

How It Happened

The Blue Devils fell behind 3-0 early in the opening frame. Duke generated chances, totaling six shots, with two hitting the pipe and Pitt's goalkeepers combining for four saves. Graduate McKenzie Olsen converted Duke's first goal on a free-position attempt with 1:59 remaining, sending the Blue Devils into the second stanza trailing, 3-1.
Turnovers plagued Duke in the opening minutes of the second quarter, and the Panthers pushed their lead to 7-1, scoring four goals in just over 10 minutes of the second frame.
Duke responded with back-to-back goals to close the first half. Biancardi fed Doran, who slotted the ball into the back of the cage at the 2:38 mark, and under 60 seconds later, Goodwin assisted Doran again.
The Blue Devils entered halftime trailing, 7-3.
In the opening 30 minutes, Duke freshman goalkeeper Hope Schoudel posted four saves, while the Blue Devils collected six ground balls and forced four turnovers, led by junior Caitlin Barrett with one in each category.
Duke fought to pull within two, 9-7, in the third quarter. Pitt opened the second half with two goals, but the Blue Devils answered with a four-goal spurt. Doran started the run off a Biancardi assist at the 11:54 mark, followed by a Goodwin tally under 90 seconds later. Goodwin then fed Whitaker, before Doran capped the run with a redshirt senior Eva Pronti helper with 7:47 remaining in the third.
Pitt halted Duke's momentum with a three-goal surge to extend its lead to 12-7. Sophomore Sadie Stafford scored the final Duke goal of the quarter heading into the final 15 minutes with Pitt leading, 12-8.
Duke opened fourth quarter action with Biancardi and Goodwin connecting with 10:57 remaining to pull Duke within three, 12-9.
Pitt closed the contest on a 5-1 run, with Duke's final goal coming from Doran off a Goodwin assist at the 9:12 mark.

Notes

Duke drops to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in ACC play, while Pitt improves to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in conference action.
Pitt trimmed Duke's lead in the all-time series to 4-1.
Olsen scored her first career goal.
Doran posted a career-high five goals.
Senior Madison Drebing made her season debut, playing the final 15 minutes in goal and recording one save.
Goodwin matched a career-high three assists and tied a personal best with two draw controls.
Pitt forced Duke into 14 turnovers and totaled nine caused turnovers, while the Panthers committed 12 giveaways and Duke logged seven caused turnovers.
The Panthers earned a 16-13 edge at the draw circle.
Duke outshot Pitt, 27-26, but the Panthers' goalkeeper made eight saves.