Second Half Comeback Lifts Cavaliers to 3-2 Win at Duke
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Sept. 26, 2013
DURHAM, N.C. – The top-ranked Virginia women’s soccer team extended its win streak to 10 games, the program’s longest since 1990, with a 3-2 come-from-behind win at Duke on Thursday. The Cavaliers (10-0, 4-0 ACC) rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit with three second half goals to remain the nation’s only unbeaten and untied team.
Junior midfielder Morgan Brian (St. Simons Island, Ga.), sophomore forward Makenzy Doniak (Chino Hills, Calif.) and senior forward Gloria Douglas (Fayetteville, N.C.) scored for the Cavaliers, who rallied from a two-goal deficit for the first time since a 6-2 win at Penn State in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
“We have great leadership on this team and we came out with a lot of intensity in the second half,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “We were able to get ourselves back in the game after falling behind early. Duke played very hard in the first half and took advantage of the chances they had. They are great finishers in the box and they took advantage of those opportunities. I didn’t think we played poorly in the first half, we just didn’t put our shots on frame. Our kids showed great resilience in the second half and I am proud of their effort tonight.”
The Blue Devils (4-5-1, 1-3-1 ACC) took the 2-0 halftime lead by scoring on both of their shots on goal. In the ninth minute, Kim DeCesare got behind the Cavalier defense and passed a ball to Kelly Cobb at the back post, who tapped in her second goal of the season. The lead doubled in the 23rd minute when Kaitlyn Kerr scored off a Cobb pass following a Virginia attempted clearance of a corner kick. Despite down by two goals, the Cavaliers outshot Duke 7-5 at the break.
The Cavaliers wasted little time drawing even in the second half, scoring twice in the first five minutes. In the 47th minute, senior Molly Menchel’s (Alexandria, Va.) through ball found the run of Brian, who fired home her seventh goal of the season. Just 83 seconds later, a similar play tied the game as Doniak scored off another long pass from Menchel. It was Doniak’s team leading ninth goal of the season, as she extended her goal scoring streak to five games, tied for the third longest streak in UVa history.
Virginia continued to pressure Duke throughout the second half and the go-ahead goal came in the 80th minute. Senior defender Shasta Fisher (Saugus, Calif.) dribbled past her defender to the end line and sent a cross that Douglas one-timed in for her first goal of the season. It was her 20th career goal and her seventh game-winner.
The Cavaliers outshot Duke 22-9 on the night and had a 5-2 corner kick advantage. Freshman Morgan Stearns (San Antonio, Texas) made one save in goal for Virginia, while Ali Kershner made seven saves for Duke.
It was Virginia’s third consecutive come-from-behind win, the first time the Cavaliers have rallied for victory in three straight games in school history. It was the fourth overall come-from-behind win of the year, tying the school record set in 1997 and 1998.
Virginia returns home Sunday to host No. 22 Maryland. Game time at Klöckner Stadium is 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast online by the NSCAA. Sunday’s game is Cavman’s Crew Day, with a face-painter, balloon artist and UVa wristbands for kids. All fans will receive the first set of 2013 Virginia women’s soccer trading cards.
#1 VIRGINIA 3, DUKE 2
#1 Virginia (10-0, 4-0) 0 3 – 3
Duke (4-5-2, 1-3-1) 2 0 – 2
Scoring Summary
1. Duke. Kelly Cobb 2 (Kim DeCesare 2, Molly Pathman 3) 9′
2. Duke. Kaitlyn Kerr 1 (Malinda Allen 1, Kelly Cobb 1) 23′
3. UVa. Morgan Brian 7 (Molly Menchel 1) 47′
4. UVa. Makenzy Doniak 9 (Molly Menchel 2) 49′
5. UVa. Gloria Douglas 1 (Shasta Fisher 2) 80′
Stats
Shots: UVa 22, Duke 9
SOG: UVa 10, Duke 3
Corners: UVa 5, Duke 2
Saves: UVa 1 (Stearns 1), Duke 7 (Kershner 7)
Fouls: UVa 6, Duke 14
Attendance: 909