October 30, 2011
Hokies battle but fall short to Duke, 1-0
Dayle Colpitts picks up six saves in ACC Tournament exit
12F
(8) Virginia Tech (12-7-1) 000
(1) Duke (17-2-1) 101
  • Koskinen Stadium - 1,012

DURHAM, N.C. – The Virginia Tech women’s soccer team fell short to the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils, 1-0, in the first round of the ACC Tournament Sunday afternoon at Koskinen Stadium. Duke recorded an early first-half goal to secure the victory.

“I am really proud of the girls today,” commented first-year head coach Chugger Adair. “I think we fought hard and well against a very good Duke team. It’s a tough conference and we showed well. I am a little disappointed in how we started during the first five or ten minutes but I thought we got out of that and stuck to our game plan and were organized.”

Two minutes into the first half, Duke (17-2-1) found the back of the net after the Blue Devils were awarded a free kick on the near side about 25 yards out. Molly Patham took a shot that the Tech defense deflected and Laura Weinberg dished the ball to Kelly Cobb that sneaked past the Hokie keeper, Dayle Colpitts as the 2:51 mark.

Tech (12-7-1) responded with the first corner kick of the game a few seconds later, but the Blue Devil defense flushed the ball out of the box. Senior Katie Cramp had a chance to tie the game, when Jazmine Reeves dribbled down the far sideline and dished it to Cramp 20 yards out but her shot just missed the goal.

The two teams traded a couple shots before Duke tried to put another point of the board but Colpitts was there to make the big save for the Hokies in the 31st minute.

In the 42nd minute the Blue Devils recorded two shots and two corners but the Tech defense remained strong and kept Duke out of the net. The half would end with the Blue Devils still up 1-0.

In an intense half, Duke outshot the Hokies 11-5, while Colpitts remained strong in goal picking up four saves. Tech recorded two corner kicks, while the Blue Devils charted three.

The intensity picked up right where the two teams left off from the first half, Shannon Mayrose took the first shot of the second but it hit the crossbar. Tech turned up the momentum and had several opportunities to put a point on the board, but the new Duke keeper Meghan Thomas was there to stop each shot.

In the final two minutes, Tech recorded two shots and three corner kicks, including two corners in the final seconds of the game. The Hokies brought all 11 players into the box to try to tie the score but Duke’s tall keeper grabbed the ball to let the final ticks run out.

The Hokies recorded nine shots in the half, but the Blue Devils outshot Tech 19-14. Despite allowing one goal Colpitts played strong the entire game, picking up six saves on the day. Tara Campbell started the day for Duke, but left midway through the first due to injury. Thomas recorded the win for the Blue Devils, while stopping three shots.

Brittany Popko and Reeves led the Hokies with three shots apeice, while Reeves picked up two shots on goal. Kelly Conheeney followed with two shots.

“We got after it in the second half, when we needed to and it was a good game for us,” noted Adair. “Unfortunately we didn’t pick up the win and get the result. But it was a fun game and the girls played well.”

The Hokies will now await the fate of the continuation of their season as the NCAA Tournament selection show will take place Wednesday, Nov. 7.

For updates on Virginia Tech women's soccer, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_WSoccer).

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