The ninth-ranked Huskies, who led 1-0 at the break, surrendered three goals to 13th-ranked Duke in the final 10 minutes of play, as the host Blue Devils upset NU 3-2 at Williams Field in Durham, N.C. on Sunday.
Duke sophomore Gracie Sorbello slapped home a pass from Chrissy Ashley off a penalty corner 67:30 into the contest for the game winner. Duke improved to 7-3 on the season, while Northeastern fell to 7-2.
"It was very frustrating," said Husky coach Cheryl Murtagh. "We felt like we dominated the first half. But, Duke made some halftime adjustments and played well in the second half. You have to give them credit. At the end of 70 minutes, it's the goals that count."
The Huskies took a 1-0 lead 11:21 into the game when Sarah Broderick scored off a penalty corner. Fior Arrindell and Leigh Shea assisted on the play.
NU's lead stood until the 50:08 mark when Kim Van Kirk found Stacey Tsougas in front of the net with a nice centering pass. Tsougas deposited the pass past Husky goalie Emily Roy for her second goal of the season and a 1-1 tie.
Duke took its first lead of the contest with 4:06 left in the game, when Chrissie Murphy slipped a pass by a pair of Northeastern defenders to freshman Katie Grant, who banged home the goal for a 2-1 lead.
Thirty second later, Liane Dixon crossed over two Duke defenders and looped a shot just over the outstretched arms of Duke goalie Erica Perrier to tie the contest at 2-2. Duke responded quickly as Sorbello notched the game-winning goal off the penalty corner.
"It was a scoring frenzy at the end," said Murtagh. "After (Duke) went back ahead with less than two minutes left, we still managed to get down in the Duke end and tried to get a corner to send the game into overtime, but we just ran out of time."
The Blue Devils outshot Northeastern, 15-9, including 11-3 in the second half, but the Huskies held a 9-7 penalty corner advantage. Roy registered five saves, while Perrier stopped a pair of Husky shots.
Scoring
First Half:
NU, Sarah Broderick (Fior Arrindell, Leigh Shea) 11:21
Second Half:
DU, Stacey Tsougas (Kim Van Kirk) 50:08
DU, Katie Grant (Chrissie Murphy) 65:54
NU, Liane Dixon (unassisted) 66:24
DU, Gracie Sorbello (Chrissy Ashley) 67:30
Shots
Northeastern, 9
Duke, 15
Penalty Corners
Northeastern, 9
Duke, 7
Saves
Northeastern, Emily Roy 6
Duke, Erica Perrier 2
