Blue Devils Drop Friendship Match in China

6/7/2016 7:29:00 AM | Women's Soccer

WSOC vs Beijing Normal University Duke in China Page People-to-People Exchange Ceremony Gallery Friendship Game Gallery

By: Duke Sports Information

BEIJING, China – Playing against a mix China national team members and students from Beijing Normal University, the Duke women's soccer team dropped a 6-3 decision Monday in the friendship game, which is part of the seventh annual meeting of the U.S-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange in Beijing, China.

Duke opened the match with a starting lineup that featured junior EJ Proctor in goal, senior Lizzy Raben, junior Morgan Reid, sophomore Chelsea Burns and sophomore Mary Love Taylor on defense. In the midfield, sophomore Taylor Racioppi, sophomore Kat McDonald and redshirt junior Malinda Allen started, while sophomore Kayla McCoy, junior Imani Dorsey and senior Krysia Sikora kicked off the match up front for the Blue Devils.

“We are really lucky to play against a great opponent,” said Raben. “They are a really, really good Chinese side. It showed us some parts of our game that we have to improve on this summer and that we have to improve on going into the next season, which is great. From our team standpoint, it is always good to know what it is like to go down and have to fight your way back into games. I am sure we will have to do that next season. Every game is a teaching moment and this game was a teaching moment. To be honest, I think we have a lot more in us.”

Beijing once again started off on the attack with the first shot coming just five minutes into the match, but was saved by Proctor. In the ninth minute, Xiaoxu Ma settled a pass at the top of the box and lofted a shot over Proctor from 22 yards out to give Beijing Normal University a 1-0 lead.

In the 18th minute, Beijing would move the score to 2-0 as Shuang Wang sent in a perfect corner kick to Yan Wang, who hit the right corner of the goal.

Duke would come back and take its first shot of the match in the 19th minute off the leg of Dorsey, but the ball just went wide left.

After a foul just outside the box on the Blue Devils, Beijing had a free kick from 21 yards out and When Li stepped up and connected to make the score 3-0.

Duke would not back down and was able to get on the board in the 28th minute as Taylor sent a pass down to Dorsey. A product of Elkridge, Md., Dorsey came out to meet the ball and was able to beat a charging Beijing goalkeeper Yue Zhang and scored the empty net goal to cut the Beijing lead to 3-1. The goal for Dorsey was her second in as many games during the China trip.

Beijing Normal University would add three more shots, before McDonald sent in a shot that was saved in the 38th minute.

At the end of the first half, Beijing held a 7-3 shot advantage.

Duke came out in the second half strong and was able to get a second goal on the board just two minutes into the stanza. Racioppi sent a corner kick into the box where Beijing keeper Xiao Lin Bi bobbled the ball and Anna Munro headed in the tally to cut the lead to 3-2.

Racioppi would also add a shot that was saved off a free kick in the 49th minute.

Four minutes later, Beijing made the score 4-2 as Shuang Wang connected on a goal. Yasha Gu added another goal in the 60th minute as she was able to place her shot into the right corner and Beijing led 5-2.

Duke continued to fight as McDonald, Casey Martinez, McCoy and Sikora would register shots.

The Blue Devils posted a third goal on the board in the 96th minute as Dorsey found Racioppi at the top of the box. Racioppi, a product of Ocean Township, N.J., sent a cross to a streaking Sikora, who headed in a goal.

In the final minute of the match, Beijing would add one final goal off the leg of When Li to end the match with a 6-3 ledger.

“This is obviously a disappointing loss and not the result we wanted, but I think really promising going forward,” said Raben. “I think we have a lot of players that are ready to contribute this season.”

Beijing concluded the match with a 14-10 shot advantage, after both teams attempted seven second half shots. Proctor, who hails from Wilson, N.C., tallied three saves. Zhang had one save in the first half, while Bi had three second half saves for Beijing.

Duke once again used all 15 players in the match as Munro, Martinez, junior Schuyler DeBree, and graduate Cassie Pecht came off the bench.

“Beijing is a very talented squad; very skillful,” said Duke head coach Robbie Church. “They can play out of tight spaces and they scored some great goals against us. I thought it was a little bit of a mix bag for us. I thought we scored three very nice goals to, but I thought there were times we just didn't execute things that we really needed to execute. It was unfortunate to give up an early goal again for the second match in a row. It but us on our back foot. The level of our play has to continue to grow as we get prepared for our season.”

The Blue Devils were without the services of starting players Christina Gibbons, Toni Payne, Rebecca Quinn and Ashton Miller due to other commitments with national teams and study abroad program.

In the morning before the match, the Blue Devils went to the official ceremony of the seventh annual meeting of the U.S-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, which included many dignitaries from China and the United States. Duke was able to talk with John Kerry, the United States Secretary of State and saw famous China basketball player Yao Ming.

Duke will have one more full day in China, before heading home Thursday, June 9. The Blue Devils are supposed to see the Forbidden City and Tiananmen square, while also going to the Silk Market to shop Wednesday.

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