The Duke women’s soccer team looked the part of the first overall seed against Howard on Friday night thanks to six combined goals from Mia Minestrella and Maggie Graham.
Minestrella, a sophomore who entered the postseason with eight goals for the year, put her first two on the board in short succession midway through the first half. She somehow found a gap between three Bison defenders in the 18th minute, firing a laser into the net from the edge of the penalty box, and she punched another kick past the Howard goalie from close range just eight minutes later to make it a 2-0 game.
Graham, the team’s leading scorer through the regular season with 10 goals, tacked on two herself in the opening minutes of the second half, but it was Minestrella’s turn again soon after. The sophomore clinched her first career hat trick in the 55th minute, pelting the ball toward the right corner of the goal and raising her arms in triumph before it even hit the net.
Her fourth goal, a header, put the game even farther out of reach as the Duke continued to hold Howard scoreless for the night. The Blue Devils eventually won 8-0.
The Blue Devils advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with the victory, where they will face either the LSU Tigers or Texas Tech Red Raiders.