Duke Women’s Lacrosse Falls to Pitt in ACC Opener Despite Doran’s Career Day
**PITTSBURGH, Pa. ** - In a game that swung with momentum but ultimately slipped away late, No.
14 Duke dropped its ACC opener to Pittsburgh, 17-10, on Thursday afternoon at Highmark Stadium. The Blue Devils clawed back to within three midway through the fourth quarter, but Pitt closed strong, scoring five of the final six goals to seal the win.
Despite the loss, sophomore Avery Doran turned in a breakout performance, torching the Panthers for a career-high five goals. Her scoring touch kept Duke in striking distance, especially during a third-quarter rally that briefly shifted the game's energy.
Junior Bella Goodwin was the engine behind much of Duke’s offense, finishing with five points on two goals and three assists, while redshirt junior Ava Biancardi led the team with a personal-best three ground balls. Freshman Quinn Whitaker chipped in defensively with a team-high two caused turnovers.
With the result, Duke moves to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in conference play. Pitt, on the other hand, stays perfect at 2-0 and opens its ACC campaign with a statement win.
How It Unfolded
The Blue Devils found themselves in an early hole, down 3-0 in the opening quarter. They weren’t without chances-six shots, two off the pipe-but Pitt’s goalkeeping tandem stood tall with four saves. Graduate McKenzie Olsen finally broke through for Duke with a free-position goal at the 1:59 mark, giving the Blue Devils a spark heading into the second quarter trailing 3-1.
But the second frame belonged to the Panthers. Capitalizing on Duke turnovers, Pitt rattled off four unanswered goals in just over 10 minutes to stretch the lead to 7-1. That stretch proved costly.
Duke, though, didn’t fold. Biancardi connected with Doran at the 2:38 mark to stop the bleeding, and less than a minute later, Goodwin found Doran again to cut the deficit to 7-3 heading into halftime.
Freshman goalkeeper Hope Schoudel held her ground in the first half with four saves, while Duke’s defense forced four turnovers and collected six ground balls. Junior Caitlin Barrett contributed in both departments, notching one ground ball and one caused turnover.
Third-Quarter Surge Shows Duke’s Fight
The Blue Devils came out of the break with renewed energy, and it showed. After Pitt extended the lead to 9-3, Duke responded with a four-goal burst that flipped the tone of the game.
Doran kicked it off with a goal off a Biancardi feed at 11:54, followed by a quick strike from Goodwin. Whitaker then finished off a Goodwin assist, and Doran capped the run with her fourth goal of the day, set up by redshirt senior Eva Pronti.
Just like that, it was 9-7, and Duke had life.
But Pitt answered with a three-goal run of its own to regain control at 12-7. Sophomore Sadie Stafford kept Duke within reach with a late third-quarter goal, but the Panthers still led 12-8 heading into the final frame.
Final Push Falls Short
Duke trimmed the deficit to 12-9 early in the fourth, with Biancardi and Goodwin connecting again. But Pitt slammed the door with a 5-1 run to close out the game. Doran added her fifth and final goal at the 9:12 mark-again off a Goodwin assist-but that would be Duke’s last strike of the afternoon.
By the Numbers
- Doran’s five goals marked a new career high in just her second game of the season.
- Goodwin matched a personal best with three assists and added two draw controls.
- Olsen’s free-position goal was the first of her Duke career.
- Senior Madison Drebing made her season debut in goal, playing the final quarter and recording one save.
- Pitt forced 14 Duke turnovers, compared to 12 giveaways of their own. The Panthers also tallied nine caused turnovers to Duke’s seven.
- At the draw circle, Pitt edged Duke 16-13.
- Duke actually outshot Pitt, 27-26, but Pitt’s goalkeeper came up big with eight saves.
What’s Next
The Blue Devils will look to bounce back quickly as they return home to host Johns Hopkins on February 15 at 3 p.m. It’ll be Duke’s home opener-and a chance to reset the tone early in the season.
This one stings, no doubt. But with Doran emerging as a go-to scorer and the offense showing flashes of high-level execution, Duke has plenty to build on as ACC play continues.