Duke Just Made An ACC Statement At No. 3 Wake Forest

Duke's resilience shines as they rally from behind to secure an impressive overtime victory against Wake Forest.

No. 5 Duke left Winston-Salem with a statement win Friday night, erasing a two-goal hole and beating No. 3 Wake Forest 3-2 in overtime on Juliette Schulten’s golden goal.

The Blue Devils had to dig deep to pull it off. Down 2-0 after three quarters, Duke scored twice in the final 15 minutes to force extra time, then finished the job when Schulten buried the winner with assists from Madison Beach and Maggie Kondrath. It was Schulten’s fourth goal of the season and the first game winner of her career.

Duke moved to 6-2 overall and 2-0 in ACC play, while Wake Forest fell to 5-3 and 0-1 in the league.

Wake Forest actually finished with a 19-16 edge in shots, but Duke landed more of its chances on target, 8-6. Each team took five penalty corners and recorded four saves.

The opening minutes belonged to Duke, which came out attacking with early looks from Ashley Stockdale and Alaina McVeigh. Both chances missed the mark, and Wake Forest answered quickly with the first goal of the night at 2:32, when Sela Provenzano linked with Bianca Rees-Gibbs on a fast break.

From there, Duke’s defense settled in. Wake Forest added four more shots in the first quarter, but junior goalkeeper Kaiya Chepow helped keep the damage to one. The second quarter stayed tight, with both sides trading possession and each team producing three shots, though neither could crack the other goalie again before halftime.

Wake Forest regained control in the third quarter, outshooting Duke 3-1 and converting a late penalty corner with seven seconds left to make it 2-0 after 45 minutes.

That’s when Duke flipped the game.

Beach sparked the comeback by forcing a turnover in Wake Forest’s defensive third, and Kondrath found Shae Wozniak inside the circle. Wozniak worked through traffic and chipped in her third goal of the season at 48:49. Six minutes later, Lily Soldan delivered the equalizer with a reverse top-shelf finish at 54:21.

Wake Forest had a chance to retake the lead on a penalty corner in the 59th minute, but Chepow came up with the stop to keep Duke alive.

Overtime was frantic, with the teams combining for 11 shots. Wake Forest opened with four attempts, then Duke answered with two looks from Wozniak and Soldan, both turned aside.

The Blue Devils kept pressing, earned a penalty corner, and after the first chance went high, they got another shot at it. Schulten made the second one count, drilling it into the lower right corner for the win.

The result extended Duke’s winning streak to four games and marked its first victory over a top-five opponent since Sept. 7, 2025, when the Blue Devils beat No. 4 Maryland, 2-1. Head coach Pam Bustin picked up her 194th win at Duke and 356th overall.

Soldan finished with her third goal of the season, while Wozniak scored her second. Beach and Kondrath each earned their second assist of the year. Chepow stopped four shots and improved to 6-2.

Duke was held without a first-half goal for the first time this season. The Blue Devils now own a 49-39 edge in the all-time series against Wake Forest.

Next up is a Sunday matinee at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium against Boston College, with first hit set for noon on ACCNX.

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