The Johns Hopkins Women's lacrosse team fell to 0-6 all-time against Duke University this past Sunday. The Blue Devils defeated the Blue Jays by a score of 10-7 in Durham, NC. Despite the loss, the Jays maintained their number nine in the most recent IWLCA poll. Despite two recent losses to powerhouses Maryland and Duke, the Jays still boast an 11-2 record, which is the main reason they have stayed put in the rankings.
"I think those who truly know Division I women's lacrosse know that a 10-7 loss to Duke is not too bad," said sophomore attacker Natalie Cooper. "And our two losses totally could have been wins... we just need to be more confident in ourselves as a team."
At the very onset of the game, the Jays appeared determined to avoid a losing streak against Duke after falling to Maryland two weeks ago. Hopkins got two quick goals from sophomore attacker Meagan Voight to take an immediate 2-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.
"We came out knowing we could play with them and knowing what we are capable of," said sophomore midfielder Kelley Putnam. "We knew we had to come out strong right from the first whistle."
Unfortunately for the Jays, their lead was short lived. Hopkins struggled with poor shot selection and the Duke defense was able to cause several turnovers giving them possession of the ball for a majority of the first half. The offensive blunders were exacerbated when the Blue Devils' balanced offense began to take advantage of all the extra possessions. Duke notched five straight unanswered goals from five different players to build a 5-2 lead with just under six minutes remaining in the half.
Hopkins responded to Duke's five-goal run with a score of its own. The goal came off the stick of junior attacker Erin Riordan. Hopkins appeared set to take a 5-3 deficit into the half, but an official's call gave the Blue Devils a free position shot with three ticks left on the clock. Duke converted the opportunity, taking a 6-3 lead into the break.
"It's difficult to be losing especially when a couple of the goals we handed to them through our own mistakes," said junior midfielder Julia Kleene. "At the time, I was not extremely worried because we are such a second-half team and we have shown our ability to fight back."
Coming back in the second half is something Hopkins has made a habit of in recent games, with late rallies against Maryland and Vanderbilt. It appeared things would continue much the same way at the start of this second half, as freshman attacker Mary Key and Voight both scored for the Jays. The back-to-back scores cut the Blue Devil lead to just one with about 25 minutes remaining in the game. However, Duke wasted little time retaliating with two goals of their own, reestablishing a three-goal cushion.
What followed was a defensive display by both goalkeepers, as both teams were held scoreless for the next eight minutes. Key was finally able to slip one past the Duke goalie and Voight quickly followed suit. The two goals once again made it a one-goal Duke lead with just over 11 minutes remaining. Unfortunately, the Jays committed several critical mistakes in the waning minutes that allowed Duke to tack on two more tallies and escape with a 10-7 victory.
"I feel that as a team we weren't ready for the situation that was handed us," said Key. "Duke was able to capitalize on our mistakes, because we made so many of them. Whenever you make that many mistakes, it's hard to pull out a win."
The final outcome would have been much worse if not for the outstanding play of sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Riddick. Riddick, who finished the day with eight saves, was able to fend off a number of point blank shots from the Blue Devils, including several free position opportunities. In addition to Riddick's sterling performance, Voight was the other bright spot for the Jays. She tallied four goals on five shots in the losing effort.
"Riddick played awesome," said Putnam, who is currently sixth on the team in goals (12). "She has been strong in the net for us all year, but Sunday she really kept us in it. She did everything you could have asked of her; she really pumped us up, but unfortunately we just didn't execute as well as we should have."
The Jays must quickly forget the Duke loss and begin preparations for their crucial upcoming away match-ups against sixth-ranked Notre Dame and 11th-ranked Northwestern. The Northwestern game takes on added significance because it is an American Lacrosse Conference contest. Due to outcomes of other recent games within the ALC, a win against Northwestern would give the Jays their first ever conference championship, as well as an automatic bid to NCAA tournament - another possible first for the Jays.
"It's going to be a battle, and it's going to take all that we have to beat Northwestern," said Cooper. "I think our team prepares well mentally for big games like this. Like for Vanderbilt, for instance, we knew that we had to win and we did."
