William and Mary couldn’t keep pace with No. 7 Duke Sunday, as the Blue Devils used a 9-0 first half run to pull away from the Tribe 15-8 in Durham, N.C.
The College (1-1) jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the opening 6 minutes, 3 seconds. Junior attacker Taelor Salmon found senior midfielder Katie Stillwell for the College’s first goal, before sophomore Kaleigh Noon assisted senior midfielder Caitlin Murphy just a minute later.
Salmon converted a free position shot to complete the Tribe’s 3-0 run. Salmon finished a busy afternoon with three goals and an assist, alongside five shots on goal.
Duke responded with a 9-0 run, spanning almost the remainder of the half. The Blue Devil’s Makenzie Hommel scored the first of her three goals during the run, which gave Duke a 10-3 advantage.
With 2:05 remaining in the half, the Tribe’s senior attacker Kyrstin Mackrides scored an unassisted goal to slow Duke’s momentum. Just 79 seconds later, Noon hit Mackrides for another goal. Noon’s second of three assists would bring the College within five at the half.
Much like the start of the game, the Tribe began the second half with a bang. The College scored three times in just under nine minutes to cut Duke’s lead to just three.
Salmon converted a free position shot with 24:36 remaining, before again finding the back of the net off a Noon assist at the 20:54 mark.
Mackrides scored an unassisted goal with 15:57 left in the contest. Mackrides’ goal, her third of the day, would be the last offensive strike the College could muster.
Duke controlled the remaining 15:43, holding the Tribe scoreless while notching four goals.
Sloppy play and inconsistent offense lead to Duke’s long stretches of dominance and ultimate success. Duke committed just 12 turnovers, while the College lost possession 23 times. Offensively, Duke outshot the Tribe, registering 43 total shots. The College took just 15 shots.
Defensively, the Tribe caused nine turnovers. Senior defender Brett Hayes led the way, causing three turnovers; sophomore defender Allison Henry contributed to two Duke turnovers.
The College returns to Martin Family Stadium for its second home game, hosting No. 13 Ohio State Wednesday.
