Women?s Lacrosse Wins Big Over Davidson

Sunday, April 19

Davidson, N.C.

1:00 p.m.

Duke University

Davidson

Women?s Lacrosse Wins Big Over Davidson

4/19/2009 6:00:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

By: Duke Sports Information

DAVIDSON, N.C. ? The Duke women's lacrosse team came out firing on Sunday afternoon, defeating Davidson 17-5 at Stephen B. Smith Field to move to 11-4 on the season. Christie Kaestner led all scorers with four goals, a career-high for the sophomore.

Kaestner and junior Lindsay Gilbride got the Blue Devils off to a rolling start, each notching hat tricks in the first eight minutes of play as Duke established control early. With the visitors out to a 6-0 lead, Davidson called a timeout but Duke put two more on the board to go up 8-0 at the 17:27 mark, on the first of two on the afternoon for sophomore Morgan Miller.

The Wildcats were held off the scoreboard until 13:01 remained in the first half, a free-position score for Haley Cook.

The Blue Devils then scored the final six goals of the first half to make it 14-1 at the break ? good for their second-highest first-half output of the season.

Virginia Crotty and Kaestner scored Duke's first two of the season half to build the lead to 16-1. But Davidson scored the game's next four in a row to make it 16-5 with 6:56 remaining the contest. Kat Thomas broke Davidson's streak with a goal at 4:29 for the Blue Devils, which would end up being the game's final score.

Kim Imbesi and Mollie Mackler split time in the cage and made seven saves in the game. Mackler added a pair of ground balls.

Ten different Blue Devils scored in the contest, with Crotty and Morgan Miller each adding two apiece behind Kaestner's four and Gilbride's three. Amanda Jones, Carolyn Davis, Kat Thomas, Sarah Bullard, Kim Wenger, and Bridget Nolan all added goals for Duke.

Jones' goal was the freshman's first in a Blue Devil uniform, as she also added an assist, a ground ball, and a caused turnover.

Davis has now scored and registered a point in 35 straight games.

Cook led Davidson with three goals, while Jen Crawford and Callie Seymour chipped in one each on the Wildcats' Senior Day. Four of Davidson's five goals came on free position opportunities.

Duke fired 35 shots in the game and picked up 17 ground balls, winning 17 draws to Davidson's seven.

The game marked a homecoming for Duke head coach Kerstin Kimel, who began her coaching career at Davidson in 1994, posting an overall record of 4-8, before becoming Duke's first women's lacrosse coach when the program began in 1995.

The Blue Devils have earned the No. 3 seed for the upcoming ACC Tournament, which begins this Thursday in Blacksburg, Va., and is hosted by Virginia Tech. They will play in the opening round on April 23, at 3:30 p.m., versus sixth-seeded Boston College, which Duke defeated just a week ago in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

The winner of that game will then face No. 2 North Carolina, which received the first-round bye, on Friday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m., after edging Duke Friday night, 9-7. The winner of the other opening game between Virginia and the host Hokies will then take on Maryland ? which finished undefeated and captured the regular-season ACC crown, earning the one seed for the tournament. The ACC championship game will take place on Sun., April 26, at 1 p.m. at VT's Thompson Field.

Duke still has one regular season game left ? against Dartmouth on May 3 at 1 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium. It will mark Senior Day for Duke's seven graduating players.

-d-u-k-e-