CARY, N.C. - Boston College ended the regular season by winning three close matches, and the Eagles used the same formula in their first game of the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Soccer Championship.

BC (13-4-2) scored early and then used a stout defensive effort to blank fifth-seeded Duke, 1-0, in Wednesday's second quarterfinal game.

The tournament win was the first for the Eagles since joining the ACC in 2005. Each of BC's victories in its current four-game winning streak has been a one-goal decision, and three have been 1-0 shutouts.

The Eagles grabbed the lead 13:14 into the match when Brooke Knowlton headed in a shot by Amy Caldwell that caromed off the crossbar. Duke (12-5-3) turned up the offensive heat in the second half, but BC coach Alison Kulik was pleased with the way her troops met the challenge and moved on to face top-seeded North Carolina in Friday's 5 p.m. semifinal game.

"We got on top of the game early with great tackles and good possession," Kulik said. "We were on our heels a bit in the second half when Duke was pushing their numbers to try and tie it up, but that's what happens. Duke was a really good team, but we did what we needed to do to get to the next round."

It marks the second straight year that the Blue Devils have suffered a tough 1-0 loss in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Championship. Duke fell to Wake Forest in 2007.

"Congratulations goes out to Boston College as they advance," Duke coach Robbie Church said. "They did some things to throw us off early as we were struggling to find goals. The kids were committed, but we were tired, both mentally and physically. We just really need some rest right now."