Duke Falls In Overtime To Penn In National Semifinals, 9-8

Friday, May 23

Towson, Md.

8:30 p.m.

Duke University

Penn (Semifinals)

Gilbride Earns ACC Player of the Week Honor

Duke Falls In Overtime To Penn In National Semifinals, 9-8

5/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse

By: Duke Sports Information

TOWSON, Md. -- The Duke Blue Devils lost a heartbreaker to the No. 2 Penn Quakers in the national semifinals, 9-8, in overtime at Johnny Unitas Stadium. It was the fourth straight appearance in the Final Four for Duke, and all four showings have resulted in losses by two goals or less.

Junior attacker Carolyn Davis and sophomore midfielder Lindsay Gilbride did most of the scoring damage. Davis had a game-high five goals on just six shots and Gilbride chipped in two more scores.

“I think that we executed our offensive game plan really well and it opened up a lot of room for me to challenge,” said Davis.

Junior goalkeeper Kim Imbesi had another strong NCAA Tournament game, finishing with seven saves. Imbesi completed the NCAA Tournament with a .547 save percentage and a 7.74 goals against average.

It was a defensive struggle from the outset, with both teams attempting to control the ball and slow down the pace of the game. Less than two minutes into the match, ACC Freshman of the Year Emma Hamm went down with an ankle injury and was unable to return.

Although Penn would strike first, the Blue Devils would ultimately take over the first half. Dominating possession, Duke staked itself out to slim leads of 2-1 and 4-2, and led 4-3 going into the locker room. Davis posted her first two goals in the first period, including the Blue Devils first score.

Penn struck first in the second period before Davis went on a three-goal run in less than seven minutes to give the Blue Devils a 7-4 advantage with 18:05 remaining. All of the momentum appeared to be with Duke at that point. However, the Quakers then shutout Duke for 17:05 and went on a four-goal run of its own that put them up 8-7 with 5:40 left.

Duke lost the next draw control and turned the ball over on its next possession, but was able to re-gain possession with 1:25 left in the match. Head coach Kerstin Kimel called Duke's second timeout and on the re-start Gilbride was fouled and awarded a free-position shot. The native of Alexandria, Va., ripped the shot low and into the back of the net with one minute remaining. The Duke defense then limited Penn to one weak shot in the final minute to force overtime.

“I was setting myself up and I wanted the ball,” said Gilbride on her game-tying shot. “I got right to the eight-meter and I knew that I could do it. I looked around and just wanted to put it away. Afterward I was so excited because it was exactly what we needed and I thought we were going to keep going from there.”

In the first half of non-sudden death overtime, Davis won her third draw control of the game. The Blue Devil offense waited for a shot, which came from Gilbride with 24 seconds left but was saved by Penn goalkeeper Sarah Waxman.

Penn won the draw control at the beginning at the second half of the overtime, and did what Duke had done in the first part of the extra session in waiting for a quality look. With 45 seconds left, midfielder Giulia Giordano was given a free-position shot, which she turned into a quick pass on the whistle to attacker Rachel Manson, who beat Imbesi high to take the lead.

Once again, Penn won the draw and was able to run out the clock on Duke's season.

The Blue Devils turned the ball over a season-low six times and committed just 16 fouls, which was one higher than their lowest total in a game this year. They also were 4-for-5 on free-position shots, which was their highest percentage of the season.

The Quakers were led by midfielders Melissa Lehman with three goals and Giordano with one goal and two assists. Manson tallied two goals, including the game winner. Penn now has a 15-game winning streak that began on March 11.

Duke is now 2-1 all-time against Penn, with the teams having previously played a home-and-home series in 2002 and 2003. The Blue Devils won 13-7 at home in 2002 and 15-5 on the road in 2003. The Blue Devils fall to 12-11 in the NCAA tournament and 0-6 in neutral sites. This was Duke's 11th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, which is tied for the third-longest run in Division I.

Duke ends the 2008 campaign at 13-8 and finishes with a 6-8 record over ranked teams and a 4-6 mark over top-10 competition. The Blue Devils were 2-1 this year at neutral sites. Penn improves to 17-1 this season. The Quakers will take on No. 1 Northwestern on Sunday night at 7:00 p.m., in the national championship game at Johnny Unitas Stadium.

The Blue Devils will return nine of 12 starters from this year's squad in 2009 and will have 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Caroline Cryer back after missing the season due to a foot injury.

“To say that I'm proud of my kids this year would be an understatement,” said Kimel. “The most important things they can take from the season are intangibles ? they learned to fight, to overcome.”

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