BLACKSBURG – For the third consecutive meeting, Virginia Tech and Duke were separated by one goal when the final horn sounded. In this instance, the Blue Devils had the advantage, with the Blue Devils winning 9-8 at Thompson Field on Saturday afternoon.
The Hokies showed resilience from the start, overcoming a four-goal deficit in the second quarter. However, Duke held the one-point lead during the halftime break until the final 30 minutes, preventing Tech from winning back-to-back games against the Blue Devils.
Tech took a 2-1 lead in the first quarter, but Duke fought back with five unanswered goals (all by different players) to take a commanding 6-2 lead.
Virginia Tech fought back in full force despite the tie, holding a 15-5 advantage at the end of the day, scoring three goals within 1 minute and 7 seconds of each other and regaining momentum into the game.
Paige Tyson played a key role in the comeback, scoring two of her three goals in quick succession and adding one more to tie the game at six goals apiece. The Collegeville, Pennsylvania, native will likely lead all players in scoring that day.
Duke scored one more point before halftime, taking a 7-6 lead into halftime.
The second half was much more sedate offensively for both teams, although Virginia Tech held an 11-8 advantage in shots in the second half.
Caroline Little's tying goal less than two minutes into the game was canceled out by two Duke goals with 6:05 and 4:19 left in the third frame.
Tech had several chances in the final 12:08, but Vergano pulled it back with his second goal of the day. However, in the fourth quarter, they recorded a game-high five turnovers and five shots, but although they did not lead to Tech's goal, they sealed the victory for Duke.
Senior Lily Kanapel made six saves for the Hokies after stepping in to protect the cage near the midway mark of the second quarter.
Virginia Tech returns to action Wednesday for an in-state matchup against Longwood at Thompson Field at 4 p.m.