Weinberg's Late Goal Leads Duke to 1-1 Draw With Florida

Friday, September 17

Durham, N.C.

8:45 p.m.

Duke University

5-1-2

Florida

6-0-1

OT 3

OT 4

#5/8 Florida

#15 Duke

Weinberg's Late Goal Leads Duke to 1-1 Draw With Florida

9/18/2010 12:40:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. - With a minute and 18 seconds remaining in regulation, Duke University freshman Laura Weinberg connected on her fourth goal of the season to lead the 15th-ranked Blue Devils to a 1-1 draw against fifth-ranked Florida on Friday evening at Koskinen Stadium. The contest was seen live nationally on Fox Soccer Channel during the first day of the Duke Nike Classic.

"I was able to see the seem in-between two defenders," commented Weinberg. "Kaitlyn [Kerr] held her composure and was able to find me through and I was able to finish it pretty close."

The Blue Devils moved to 5-1-2 overall on the season, while the Gators dropped to 6-0-1. The Duke Nike Classic will close on Sunday, Sept. 19 as North Carolina will face Florida at 12:00 p.m., followed by the Blue Devils versus Middle Tennessee at 2:30 p.m. Both matches will be played at Koskinen Stadium.

"It was really big," said Duke Head Coach Robbie Church on the draw with the Gators. "I am very proud of our girls. I think we grew up a lot tonight as there were a lot of young players out on the field."

The Blue Devils started on the attack at the beginning of the match as both Weinberg and freshman Mollie Pathman each registering scoring chances that were saved and just went wide, respectively, in the first six minutes.

Senior Molly Lester then got into the action in the eight minute as she sent a ball in that grazed off the crossbar. Duke continued to put the pressure on the Gators in the opening period as Pathman found Weinberg at the 15 and sent in her second shot of the match that was saved off the goal line by Florida defender Kathryn Williamson.

Florida responded with four shots over a span of eight minutes to even the shot count at 4-4 just 19 minutes into the game.

"I thought we were very good, especially early in the game," said Church. "We have to get something out of that. We have been coming out of the lockerroom to start the game [very strong] but we go in at halftime and it is nothing to nothing. We could have been up two at half so the whole game changes when you get something out of it."

Both teams added three shots before the end of the first half and the score knotted at 0-0.

Duke took the opening two shots of the second stanza as senior Marybeth Kreger and Lester each fired attempts. Then in the 51st minute, Florida's McKenzie Barney got past the Blue Devil defense and had a 1-v-1 opportunity against Duke goalkeeper Tara Campbell. A product of Cincinnati, Ohio, Campbell stopped the first attempt and the rebound came back to Barney, who sent in another shot that was saved by Campbell.

It marks the second straight match that Campbell has stopped an opposing forward on a 1-v-1 chance.

Less than a minute later, Florida's Taylor Travis fired a shot that hit the near post and bounced in front of the Duke goal where Barney sent in her sixth goal of the season to give the Gators a 1-0 lead at the 52:30 mark.

"We had a spurt when Florida was all over us, commented Church. "I thought there was about a 12 to 14 minute spurt -- we couldn't handle it. They physically put their will on us, but then we started to slow the thing down, started finding feet and change the point of attack with it to. We started to get back in it."

Duke had a goal called back in the 80th minute as senior Gretchen Miller had slipped a right-footed shot just inside the far post, but the tally didn't count due to an offsides call. The Blue Devils kept sending balls toward the Gator goal and after three corner kicks and two shots, freshman Kaitlyn Kerr sent a perfect cross through the box to Weinberg who used her right foot to knock in the match tying goal. A product of Boca Raton, Fla., Weinberg was around the goal all night leading Duke with five shots, with four on goal.

"It was a great goal," said Church. "She was on the door step a lot tonight and was a handful for them. Their backs really could not stop her as she found gaps and seems a little bit. She had a lot of opportunities and a lot of chances but what I am proud of is she didn't drop her head. She was like a real forward as she kept going at them and when she had an opportunity to stick it she stuck it."

In the first overtime, Duke carried its momentum from the tying goal as the Blue Devils held a 4-0 shot advantage, but Florida goalkeeper Katie Fraine made two stops. The Blue Devils outshot the Gators, 3-1, in the second extra period before closing the match with a 21-15 shot lead.

"It is definitely huge," said Weinberg on the tie against No. 5 Florida. "We had our chances, we outshot them and deserved to win. I think we held ourselves together, were relentless, we didn't give up and we were able to put one away in the last two minutes."

Campbell finished the match with four saves in 110 minutes, while Fraine added five stops for the Gators.

In the first match of the Duke Nike Classic, top-ranked North Carolina downed Middle Tennessee State, 7-1.

Notes:

The goal by Florida in the second half broke a streak of 447 minutes and 82 seconds in which Duke had not allowed a goal.
Duke played a total of 20 student-athletes on the night.

- d - u - k - e -