Duke Advances to Semifinals of 2008 ACC Women's Lacrosse Championship

April 24, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Duke's offense dominated the opening game of the 2008 ACC Women's Lacrosse Championship, as the third-seeded Blue Devils notched a 19-6 victory over No. 6 seed Virginia Tech at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., on Thursday afternoon. With the win, the Blue Devils advance to Friday's semifinal round to face No. 2 seed and host Virginia.

"We came off a tough game last week and I thought we were a little tight to open the game," Duke head coach Kerstin Kimel said. "Coming off our last game, having only one week to prepare for this tournament and with exams and all, I was proud to see the girls get into a flow and work in unison to pull off this win."

Duke got on the boards early after junior Carolyn Davis, who was cleared to play just one week before the 2008 season opener after spending the off-season rehabilitating from a torn ACL that she suffered in the final game of the 2007 campaign, and senior Allie Johnson found the back of the net within five minutes of the opening draw. Davis' first of four goals came at the 26 minute mark and was unassisted.

Johnson put the Blue Devils, who earned their only ACC title over Virginia in 2005, up 2-0 with a second Duke goal at 25:01 in the contest.

Virginia Tech's offense jumped into gear tallying four consecutive goals, spearheaded by senior Jenna Reich. The veteran was two shy for the day of her career-high of four goals, which she has tabbed on three different occasions. Reich's unassisted free position goal at 22:36 opened a two-minute window that saw the Hokies pick up three more goals.

Hokie freshman Liz Carpenter took advantage of a draw control by teammate and classmate Allie Emala, scoring at 22:10 in the first half. With Emala's two draw controls on the day, the newcomer currently ranks second in the Hokies' all-time freshman record books with 34.

Fellow midfielder Rachel Culp kept the Tech momentum going with a goal at 21:28, assisted by senior Kady McBrearty, while Reich recorded the last Virginia Tech goal of the first period, beating Duke junior goalie Kim Imbesi on a free position shot.

The Blue Devils went on to post six consecutive goals en route to a four-goal lead entering the break. The scoring run by was highlighted by a pair of midfielders in freshman Emma Hamm and Davis, both of which picked up two apiece.

Rookie attacker Christie Kaestner, who scored at 10:30 in the first half, had one goal and one assist in the opening stanza, while classmate Sarah Bullard also found the back of the net for the Blue Devils.

Before the break, the Blue Devils held an 8-5 draw control advantage over the Hokies, but had picked up 17 fouls to Tech's one.

The Blue Devils returned from the break with eight straight goals, starting with an unassisted goal by Bullard at 28:22 after Davis' free position shot was high. Six different players added goals in the scoring streak and nine different players in the second period for Duke, which improves its ACC Championship record to 6-10 following today's contest.

Johnson and sophomore Lindsay Gilbride recorded two goals each in the second have to secure the win for the Blue Devils. Junior Megan Del Monte added a goal of her own and added two assists.

The Hokies ended nearly a 47 minute scoring drought as Culp added an unassisted goal with four minutes remaining in the second half, while McBrearty picked up her only goal of the game to make the score 17-6 with two minutes to go.

In the cage for the Hokies was Kari Morrison, who made seven stops in all 60 minutes of action, while Imbesi had five saves for the Blue Devils.

The ACC Women's Lacrosse Championship continues Thursday, April 24, as fifth-seeded North Carolina takes on fourth-seeded Boston College at 3:30 p.m.