CARY, NC -- When No. 8 Virginia jumped to an early 1-0 lead over defensive-minded No. 10 Duke in last night's first round ACC tournament matchup, the Cavaliers looked to be in good position to cruise into the semifinals.
The Blue Devils (13-5-1) had different plans, however, scoring two goals for only the second time this year in ACC competition to secure a 2-1 victory and send the Cavaliers (12-5-2) packing.
The loss was Virginia's fourth straight conference defeat and marked the fourth time in five years the Cavaliers fell to the Blue Devils in the first round.
Duke, the tournament's No. 4 will now move on to Friday night's semifinals where they will face the nation's top-ranked squad, and No. 1 seed, North Carolina. The Cavaliers will wait until Monday, when the NCAA tournament field is announced, to find out when they lay next.
With the game tied midway through the second half, Duke senior forward Gwendolyn Oxenham headed in the eventual game-winner in the 67th minute on a corner kick play. Sophomore defender Carolyn Ford launched the corner to the far side of the goal, where freshman midfielder Rebecca Moros collected the ball and delivered it to Oxenham.
Virginia had their best chance of the night to tie the game seconds after Oxenham's score. Junior forward Lindsay Gusick had control of the ball at the top of the box and only an approaching goalkeeper to beat, but her loft was snagged by Duke's Thora Hekgadottir to keep the momentum on the Blue Devils' side.
"I got a good ball through," Gusick said. "I wanted to chip the ball over the goalie's head, but I didn't hit it hard enough or high enough. I would like to have that one back."
As time wound down, the Cavaliers had a handful of good chances to tie the game. Sophomore midfielder Sarah Huffman launched a shot from 20 yards out that sailed just the top of the post with 7:12 remaining. Two minutes later, Gusick missed a chance from the left side near the end line and with just over three minutes left, sophomore midfielder Kelly Hammond's floater fell just over the crossbar.
"We were able to get behind them late in the game," Huffman said. "We got some good shots off, but their goalie came up big."
After Virginia's early goal, the Blue Devils evened the score in the 49th minute. Freshman midfielder Darby Kroyer converted from the right side on a cross from sophomore forward Carolyn Riggs at the top of the box. The score seized the momentum from a Virginia squad that was fully in control of the match during the first half.
"I felt pretty good about the first half," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. "We got a good start to the game and Gus got a great goal. At that point we had control of it."
Less than 13 minutes into the contest Gusick collected a sharp pass from sophomore midfielder Sarah Huffman in the middle of the box and tapped the ball past Helgadottir. Control fell into Duke's hands during the second stanza. The Blue Devils were able to pressure the ball well, holding possesion of the ball during the majority of the half and taking five corners to Virginia's one.
Duke defeated the Cavaliers 1-0 on October 18 in Durham to snap Virginia's game unbeaten streak at 11 games. Virginia was held to a then season-low four shots. The Blue Devils beat Virginia by the same score in the first round of last season's ACC tournament.
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