A Caitlin Cosme equalizer in the 63rd minute brought Duke back even, and it stayed that way, as the Blue Devils and Virginia finished with a 1-1 draw Thursday at Koskinen Stadium.
For the second straight match, UVA freshman Lia Godfrey got in the scoring column as she buried an unassisted goal in the 53rd minute to put the Cavaliers on top.
Cosme scored on a free kick eight minutes later to knot the game at 1-1.
Virginia (1-0-1) had two potential goals, one in the 59th minute and one in the 87th minute, reviewed by officials and ruled to not have crossed the goal line. The Cavaliers finished the game with a 16-3 edge in shots and an 8-3 edge in shots on goal, but the defense of both teams prevailed through the second half and two overtime periods.
“First of all, we would really like to thank Duke and their entire staff for giving us a first-class pitch to play on despite the weather,” Virginia head coach Steve Swanson said. “With all we are fighting against to just play games, it was great that the weather could not shut us down. We are very grateful to all the people at Duke.
“Obviously, with the way the game went, we are disappointed with the draw. We had our foot on the gas in the second half and both overtimes, but just did not have enough quality in and around the goal to put our chances away. Having said that, we created some really good chances and played some good soccer tonight. We just need more games to learn and grow, and I am confident with the work ethic of this team we will do just that.”
After a scoreless first half, Godfrey got the Cavaliers on the board with her goal in the 53rd minute. The freshman took the ball at midfield and dribbled down the center of the pitch, navigating a retreating defensive back line. She pulled up 21 yards out and fired her shot, slipping it in low and to the left of the keeper for the 1-0 Virginia lead.
The Cavaliers almost extended the lead to two goals in the 59th minute when Diana Ordoñez took a shot from just outside the six. It was deflected by the Duke keeper and stopped near the line by a Blue Devil defender before Duke’s keeper collected the ball.
A review by the officials ruled no goal.
Duke tied things up in the 61st minute with a goal off a free kick. Marykate McGuire served the ball into the box, where it was flicked by a Tess Boade header to Cosme behind the Virginia defense.
Cosme’s shot went in low and to the left of a diving Laurel Ivory to tie the match.
A Cam Lexow header in the 87th minute almost put the Cavaliers on top, as it was low and past the keeper before being cleared by a Duke defender near the line. For the second time on the night, an official’s review ruled no goal for the Cavaliers.
With the score sitting at 1-1 at the end of regulation, the match went into extra periods.
In the 96th minute, the Cavaliers got another opportunity as Godfrey found Alexa Spaanstra near the top of the box.
Spaanstra took the shot, but it was deflected by a Duke defender to the keeper and out as the score remained tied.
The Cavaliers would get several chances as time wound down in the first overtime period, but none found the back of the net as the game went into a second overtime period.
Again, neither team could score as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
“I thought we did some really nice things tonight,” Duke head coach Robbie Church said. “I thought we moved the ball well. We broke some of their press, especially early. Our field people, we’ve got to give them credit. They may be the MVP tonight. (The field) did start to collect water at the end of it. So, it was hard to keep our possession game. So, we had to go a little bit longer. I think we did some really nice things, but the second half, it was tough. We were holding on the second half. They kind of put their will on us. They’ve got a veteran team. Their three front players are as good as anybody in the country. I thought they were outstanding.”
Story by Chris Graham
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