DURHAM, N.C. -- The Old Dominion field hockey team fell to No. 2 Duke, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon at Jack Katz Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, in the opening game of a three-game roadstand for ODU.
Duke (7-1) scored a pair of first-half goals to pull away from the Monarchs (4-5), who are now 1-4 against ranked opponents this season.
"It was a very competitive game with a good Duke team," said head coach Andrew Griffiths. "I was pleased that we played strong in the second half, which has been a weakness for us in some recent games. Duke's goals came on defensive lapses when we were slow to react in transition."
The Blue Devils took the lead in the 13th minute, when Alexa Mackintire's cross deflected off of an ODU defender and into the cage for what proved to be the game-winner. Erin Scherrer added a goal in the 34th minute and Ainsley Gill closed out the scoring with a goal in the 53rd minute.
ODU had its best scoring opportunity in the waning seconds of the first half, when Erin Huffman's penalty-corner shot missed just wide.
Overall, Duke outshot ODU, 17-3, and held a 4-1 advantage in corners. Cameran Nery-Strickland recorded the Monarchs' lone shot on goal, while goalkeeper Kealsie Robles made eight saves. Robles has now made five or more saves in five of the nine games this season.
"We had some real positives to build on," said Griffiths. "Our press was outstanding and we made it really difficult for Duke to build the play. And we had some solid passages of attacking play and circle opportunities."
ODU's roadstand continues next weekend with contests at Liberty on Friday and No. 7 North Carolina on Sunday.
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