The Duke athletic calendar is finally here as the Blue Devils women’s soccer team kicked off its schedule on Thursday with a road trip to Ohio State.
Unfortunately, the Buckeyes got the better of Duke with a goal in the 55th minute, the only score in a 1-0 game.
After a 6-7-3 season last fall saw the Blue Devils win just one of their last nine matches (five losses and three ties), Duke coach Robbie Church hoped to get the team headed in the right direction for his final season at the helm.
Despite the result, underlying statistics offered some promise for the program going forward. The Blue Devils fired off 21 shots over the course of the game against the Buckeyes’ nine, including a 15-6 differential in the second half. 11 of Duke’s shots found their target, including a staggering seven just from midfielders Carina Lageyre and Hannah Bebar, but Ohio State goalkeeper Molly Pritchard saved all 11 attempts.
The Buckeyes only connected for three shots on target, all of which came from forward Kailyn Dudukovich, but she snuck one by Duke keeper Leah Freeman early in the second half for the difference-maker.
Final from Columbus.
Ohio State 1, Duke 0 pic.twitter.com/D0nMFHUHKy
— Duke Women's Soccer (@DukeWSOC) August 16, 2024
The Blue Devils get another chance to notch their first win against Nebraska on August 22.