Michelle Cooper strikes early for a 1-0 lead over NC State.
And now a 2nd goal by Pluck, 2-0.
It was truly a dominant performance. We had two-thirds of the possession, shot the ball 19 times to their three, and put eleven shots to one on frame. Their goalie, Wiebke Willebrandt, had eight saves, and while many were routine, she had at least two that were spectacular. We put our subs in with about 20 minutes to play, and were still the better team. This could easily have been quite a bit more of a scoreboard blowout than it turned out to be. That was a really nice performance from the Blue Devils.
Michelle Cooper strikes early for a 1-0 lead over NC State.
And now a 2nd goal by Pluck, 2-0.
Cooper and Pluck each strike again in the 2nd half for a 4-0 lead.
Definitely looking in control tonight, great match.
That was about as dominant a performance as one could hope for. We led in everything, and beat them in every way. After those two early goals, we kind of let them get comfortable toward the end of the first half, but Robbie Church and the locker room talk took care of that. Both teams subbed in with 20 minutes to go, and our subs still beat their subs. I hope we see more of that as the season moves on.
During the broadcast on ACCNX the color commentator said repeatedly that he thinks Michelle Cooper is the best player in women's college soccer today.
That was a fascinating segment. He observed that she was the 18th ranked recruit in her year, and wondered who were the 17 players better than her. He then said in looking at the list, he agreed that those other 17 were also outstanding, but that Michelle has a unique combination of athleticism and skill that has clearly elevated her above those peers. I also found it interesting that when asked who he would compare her to, he said he didn't think there was a comparison—she's a truly unique talent in the sport.
One other thing....Duke's freshman class for next year is ranked #5 with 3 of the top 20 players per Top Drawer Soccer: Mia Minestrella, Cameron Roller and Kiera Clemens
Only UNC, Stanford, UVA and FSU rank higher
Duke Women vs #2 Virginia at Koskinen, trailing 1-0 with 20 minutes remaining.
Final 1-0 UVA. I didn't watch much of the game but from the stats it looks like Duke had a few good chances but couldn't cash in with any goals. Cooper left the game with about 15 minutes remaining with an apparent leg injury. She walked off so I don't think it was serious.
On the home field Koskinen Stadium former IRS commissioner, the Duke women have lost to UCLA,UNC and UVA.The teams considered their top competition.Church mentioned the problems the team has. It is up to the players to get their game time play improved.In late November and early December I hope this team can advance in post season play, but they have to perform much better going forward.
The Duke women hot Wake Forest tonight at 7. You can stream the game on ACC Network Extra.
"This is the best of all possible worlds."
Dr. Pangloss - Candide
Wake Forest is unranked in the Coaches Poll and #32 in the RPI. Their record is 8-2-2 and they've had some quality wins including a 4-1 win over #14 (at the time) Clemson and 1-0 over Georgia and a tie with #16 (at the time) Auburn. Duke is #8 in the RPI and is obviously favored so this is a must win home ACC game.