No. 7 Duke Escapes With 8-7 Win Over Liberty, Tuesday

Liberty vs. No. 7 Duke Top Plays

Liberty held the nation's most prolific offense in No. 7 Duke to a season-low eight goals, but the Blue Devils escaped with an 8-7 victory over the Lady Flames on Tuesday afternoon at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

Duke entered the game as the national leader at 19.50 goals per game, and Liberty limited the Blue Devils to nearly 12 goals below their season average. Duke's eight goals are their fewest in a game since March 6, 2021 (five goals vs. No. 2 Syracuse). The Blue Devils also came into the contest averaging a nation-best 20.25 draws per game and collected only 10 on Tuesday. Prior to this afternoon, Duke's fewest draw controls in a game this season was 15 (two times, vs. Pitt and at No. 14 Notre Dame).

Duke, who also entered the matchup as the top team in the country in scoring margin (10.50), improves to 12-1 and has won six straight after escaping with the one-goal victory. Meanwhile, Liberty falls to 6-5 and sees its three-game winning streak halted.

Liberty's one-goal loss today marks the closest game in program history for the Lady Flames against a ranked opponent. Prior to Tuesday, Liberty's narrowest margin of defeat to a ranked team was three goals, 8-5, at home versus No. 23 James Madison on April 1, 2021.

Scoring Summary

Liberty Goals: Lizzy Ferguson 2, Olivia Glaze 1, Jordan Baerga 1, Cami Merkel 1, Brooke Bryan 1, Tori Banks 1

Liberty Assists: Olivia Glaze 2, Lizzy Ferguson 1

Duke Goals: Olivia Carner 2, Katie DeSimone 2, Katie Keller 1, Anna Callahan 1, Abby Landy 1, Caroline DeBellis 1

Duke Assists: Olivia Carner 2, Eva Greco 1

Goalkeepers

W: Sophia LeRose 11-1, 11 saves

L: Jennifer Soriero 6-4, four saves

Turning Point

After trailing 5-3 at the half, Duke held Liberty to one goal over the final 27:15. The Blue Devils scored three goals in the third period, capped off by Olivia Carner's second of the game with 3:31 left to even the game at 6-all.

Duke's Anna Callahan (8:56 mark) and Katie DeSimone (7:30 mark) scored goals less than 90 second apart midway through the final quarter to give the visitors their first lead of the game. Liberty responded with a goal of its own, coming from Tori Banks with 6:23 left, to get within a goal, 8-7.

Neither team scored in the final 6:23. Blue Devils goalkeeper Sophia LeRose made two saves on shots from Olivia Glaze (4:52 mark) and Lizzy Ferguson (4:04 mark) in the closing minutes to preserve the victory.

First Half Summary

• Liberty took a 1-0 lead on Cami Merkel's 17th goal of the season at the 11:15 mark of the first quarter. After Duke knotted the game up 30 seconds later, Lady Flames midfielder Lizzy Ferguson scored her first of two goals at the 9:54 mark for a 2-1 lead for the hosts.

• Liberty led throughout the opening half and did not relinquish the lead until Duke evened the game with 3:31 left in the third quarter. The Lady Flames outshot the Blue Devils 19-11 in the opening 30 minutes and led 5-3 at the break.

Second Half Summary

• The two teams combined for seven yellow cards in the second half (11 total in the game). The Blue Devils took their first lead of the game (7-6) with 8:56 remaining in a player-up situation, as Callahan scored on a free-position shot.

• Duke outscored Liberty 5-2 in the final 30 minutes.

Key Stats & Notes

• The Blue Devils, the nation's top team in draw controls per game (20.25), were limited to only 10 draws today. Liberty won nine draws. Duke's Maddie Jenner, the No. 1 draw winner in the nation (12.83 per game) led all players with eight draws but was held nearly five draws below her season average.

• Duke entered the game averaging a nation-best 38.50 shots per game, and Liberty held the Blue Devils to only 20 total shots. Liberty outshot Duke 26-20. Baerga and Mia Toscano shared game-high honors with five shots each.

• The Lady Flames converted 72.7 percent (16-of-22) of its clear attempts and held the Blue Devils to 68.2 percent (15-of-22). Duke came into the contest converting 89.1 percent of its clears for the season.

• Duke held narrow advantages over Liberty in ground balls (20-19) and caused turnovers (13-12). Defender Alexa Evernham paced the hosts with three caused turnovers, while ASUN Defensive Player of the Week Mia Toscano scooped up a game-high four ground balls.

• The Lady Flames' Ferguson matched a career high with two goals and added an assist for a career-high three points.

• Duke improves to 2-0 all-time against Liberty. The Lady Flames drop to 3-3 at home in 2022.

Up Next

• Liberty will play its third home game in eight days when it hosts Delaware State (1-8, 0-0 ASUN), Saturday in its ASUN opener. First draw is 1 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.

• The Lady Flames are 2-0 all-time against the Hornets. Liberty scored a program-record 24 goals versus DSU in a 24-2 win last season (March 26, 2021).