Duke’s trip to California ended with another fast start and a hard-earned point.
Sam Courtwright scored just 2:05 into the match Sunday evening at No. 9 UCLA, but the third-ranked Blue Devils settled for a 1-1 draw at Wallis Annenberg Stadium in Los Angeles. Duke finished its season-opening road swing with a 1-0-1 record and now heads back to Durham for the first of two straight home matches.
Courtwright, a redshirt junior from Dallas, Texas, has wasted no time making an impact in her first two games in a Blue Devil uniform. Through those two matches, she has one goal and two assists.
Duke’s opener came the same way it has in so many of its recent matches: early pressure and a quick strike. Yuna Marui was fouled just outside the box, setting up a free kick from 20 yards out, and Courtwright hammered a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner to put the Blue Devils ahead 1-0.
UCLA answered after halftime. The Bruins were awarded a penalty kick at 49:06, and Oruha Hayashi converted to level the score at 1-1.
The match turned more difficult for Duke at 72:01, when sophomore Jocelyn Travers received a red card and the Blue Devils were forced to close with 10 players. Even so, sophomore goalkeeper Molly Vapensky came up with two important saves late to help Duke hang on for the draw.
Vapensky also recorded her first collegiate save in the first half at the 8:52 mark and finished with three saves overall.
Duke had its chances before the break, too. In the 23rd minute, Marui sent in a corner kick that found senior Cameron Roller, but the header went wide.
By halftime, Duke held a 2-1 edge in shots, though the Blue Devils were limited to just two attempts for the match and did not register one in the second half. UCLA finished with six shots.
The early goal also fit a broader trend for Duke. The Blue Devils have now scored in the first half in 11 of their last 12 matches dating back to last season.
Courtwright’s goal was her first as a Blue Devil and the 10th of her career.
Afterward, Duke head coach Kieran Hall pointed to the way his team responded after going down a player.
"Yeah, extremely pleased. We've flown over all the way to California, playing against two of the top teams in California and in the Big Ten, and it's not easy.
And then, especially when playing a man down, it's a real test of character. That's one thing I think we've got in abundance.
We have a resilience and mentality that if things don't go well, we are willing to dig in. I think that's a positive sign for things to come."
The result also keeps Duke’s strong August run intact. The Blue Devils are now 17-2-1 over the past five years in the month of August.
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