No. 8 Duke left Louisville with exactly the kind of result that travels: a 1-0 win built on an early finish and a defense that refused to blink.
Graduate student Alaina McVeigh delivered the only goal Duke needed in the sixth minute, and the Blue Devils rode that quick strike to their fifth straight win over a ranked opponent this season. Duke improved to 11-3 overall and 6-1 in ACC play, while No. 16 Louisville fell to 9-6 and 3-3 in the league.
McVeigh’s goal came after Duke earned a penalty corner. Junior Julia Boehringer sent her drag flick back to McVeigh on the baseline, and McVeigh knocked in the one-time redirect at 5:54 for her seventh goal of the season.
From there, the Blue Devils leaned on a disciplined defensive effort that never let Louisville get comfortable. Duke held the Cardinals scoreless for the third time this season and posted its seventh shutout of the year. Graduate student Philine Klas added a defensive save, and junior goalkeeper Kaiya Chepow made three saves to help keep the sheet clean.
Louisville did plenty of pressing early, earning five penalty corners in the opening quarter. Duke turned away every one of them, including Klas’ defensive save at the 8:23 mark.
The Cardinals managed to keep Duke quiet for stretches, especially in the second quarter, when the Blue Devils got just one shot and one attacking penalty corner. Even so, Chepow handled the lone shot on target she saw in that period.
The third quarter stayed tight, with both goalkeepers making saves and Louisville holding a 4-1 edge in shots for the period. Still, Duke protected its one-goal margin and never gave up the equalizer.
The final quarter brought Louisville’s best push, but Duke shut it down again. The Blue Devils erased an early Cardinals penalty corner, then Chepow picked up her third save shortly after. When Louisville pulled its goalie for an extra attacker, Duke still denied the Cardinals any clean look at goal and saw out the closing minutes.
The win gave Duke its fifth straight over Louisville and stretched its all-time record against the Cardinals to 17-9.
Pam Bustin earned her 199th win at Duke and the 361st of her career.
McVeigh has now scored in four straight games and has 19 points this season, on seven goals and five assists. She needs one more point to become the sixth Duke player all-time to post 20 points in each of her four seasons.
Boehringer’s assist was her third of the season, giving her nine points on three goals and three assists. The Blue Devils’ seventh clean sheet of the year also marked Chepow’s sixth.
Duke closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule Oct. 25 at No. 14 Liberty in Lynchburg, Virginia. Opening pass back is set for 1 p.m., and the game will stream live on ESPN+.
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