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September 5, 2024
Durham, NC– On a beautiful summer night at Koskinen Stadium, the Battle of the Blues made its way on to the pitch Thursday as fans piled in for what was sure to be another highly skilled matchup between Tobacco Road rivals. The 2nd ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (6-1,0-1) made the short drive down 15-501 playing some of their best soccer on their way to a perfect start. Under interim coach Damon Nahas, the Tar Heels were unblemished on the young season and were looking to extend their 20-game road winning streak at Koskinen Stadium with a record of 17-0-3 against the Blue Devils (3-1,1-0) who were seeking their 3rd win in a row.
The Blue Devils were also coming in to the match playing some of their best soccer winning 2 in a row via the shutout. Thursday night would be no different for Duke as they would extend their win streak to 3 in a row via the shutout to earn their first ever win against the visiting Tar Heels in Koskinen Stadium.
The first half was full of aggressive play with each team choosing to play further up on the field seeking to find any hole in the defense of the opposing defense. Both goaltenders though would prove to be very stingy with their stellar play in net throughout the half. Senior goaltender Leah Freeman notched her 3rd shutout of the season for the Blue Devils as she was able to make 2 early first saves to hold the Tar Heels scoreless through the first 45 minutes.
Clare Gagne was in net for the Tar Heels and was also playing at an elite level as well having earned 3 shutouts in a row of her own for the Tar Heels. The graduate student from Minnesota however was unable to save the 1 shot at the very end of the first half on a stellar shot from Duke graduate student Maggie Graham in the 45th minute. Graham received a beautiful pass from Nicky Chico giving the Blue Devils the 1-0 heading in to the half.
The second half was more of the same from both. An extremely high-level of soccer was played by both teams who just did not want to give in to one another. The Tar Heels began play by pushing up further on the Devils defense trying to find any seam or crack in the line. Duke was able to maintain possession and handled each offensive set from the Tar Heels with tenacious defense. The match was back and forth throughout the second half and both teams played with a ton of precision and skill. This was a match of sheer determination that ultimately came down to the end.
The Tar Heels were just not able to find any chinks in the armor of the Blue Devil defense and ultimately were never able to pull even. The win for the Blue Devils was epic and also historic for the program, who under 24th year head coach Robbie Church, had yet to break through with a win against the Tar Heels at home. The sun would shine this day on the Blue Devils though and into the night as they were able to end their 20-game winless streak against the hated rivals from down the road.
Both teams only allowed 3 total shots from the opposing offenses in the first half. The Blue Devils were able to earn an additional shot on goal in the first 45 though which proved to be the dagger for the Tar Heels. The Tar Heels would finish the match with just 6 total shots with only 5 of them being on goal. Freeman would hold the Heels scoreless with several saves and the Blue Devils defense would hold firm in the final 45 minutes staving off several charges from the Tar Heels.
No matter the sport, the Battle of the Blues never ceases to underwhelm. This match was a great measuring stick for both teams early in the ACC season that is loaded with teams who will be NCAA Championship and ACC Championship contenders. If Thursday night is any indication, the ACC will be in for another great season of soccer and both of these teams should be in it to the finish. The win for the Blue Devils was much needed and head coach Robbie Church expressed his thoughts on the play of his team after the game:
“I thought we played really well on our front foot the entire second half. We played fast. It was great composure by Maggie on the goal. We played on their end of the field a lot in the second half.”
Goaltender Leah Freeman on the Devils first win against UNC: ” I’m excited. We’re all excited. We’re just ready to celebrate this one.”
The Blue Devils return to action Sunday as they host East Tennesse State at 6PM EST. Next up for the Tar Heels is a home match against Columbia at 1PM EST on Sunday.
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