The Duke women’s soccer team made program history on Thursday night in the sweetest way possible, defeating the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels in Durham for the first time ever.
UNC entered the rivalry battle with a perfect 6-0 record this season, but after a nearly scoreless first half, the Blue Devils were the ones who struck first.
Duke defender Cameron Roller cleared the ball across the pitch with just under a minute to play in the half. Forwards Mia Minestrella and Maggie Graham waited down at the other end, but with a trio of Tar Heels defenders surrounding them, any chance at breaking the tie seemed unlikely.
In the kind of bounce that defines such a historic upset, Roller’s contested pass careened off of a UNC defender, bounced off Minestrella’s leg, and popped out of the crowd by Graham’s waiting feet with nothing but green grass between her and the goal.
Graham forged ahead with a North Carolina defender closing over her left shoulder and UNC goalkeeper Clare Gagne charging forward to meet her. Just before the two Tar Heels converged on her, Graham slipped her go-ahead effort toward the right corner of the goal.
Her shot found the net in what proved to be the only score of the evening.
https://twitter.com/NCAASoccer/status/1831864757646979393
The Blue Devils kept their one-goal lead for the entire second half thanks to a perfect five-for-five game from keeper Leah Freeman. When the time ran out, for the first time in school history, Duke came out on top.
“I feel ecstatic,” Graham said in an interview after the game. “This has been the best game ever. To score the goal was something else, but just to see my team pull together and play the best we have all season, it’s just so inspiring.”
“It makes me believe we can really do something this year and hopefully win a national championship.”
https://twitter.com/DukeWSOC/status/1831867224312951059
Duke, in what will be legendary head coach Robbie Church’s final season with the team, improves to 3-1-1 for the young season.