A magical season that saw the Elon University women’s soccer team advance to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Tournament came to an end against the Duke University Blue Devils. The Blue Devils shut out the Phoenix 3-0 with three goals from junior forward Mia Minestralla.
While the season ended abruptly, Elon snuck in as the No. 3 seed in the Coastal Athletic Association South Division, to playing in the tournament. Elon women’s soccer head coach Neil Payne said this game did not define the team’s resilience throughout the season.
“We went up against a good team, but I’m really proud of the way we performed all season,” Payne said. “It wasn’t about tonight, it was about the entire season. I couldn’t be more happy with our response over the last month and postseason play.”
Duke wasted no time trying to generate points once the game began. Through the first eight minutes, they already proceeded to get off two makable shots that were both off the mark. Eventually, Duke capitalized when Minestralla hit her first goal 10 minutes into the half with a soft shot into the bottom left corner of the net.
Duke continued to ramp up its aggressive attack on offense, using their speed to generate shots. Once the Blue Devils managed to get around Elon’s defenders, they constantly moved the ball around which often put sophomore goalie Katie Bisgrove in difficult positions. Bisgrove, along with the rest of the Elon defense, still managed to come up with a few plays to keep the Blue Devils from increasing their lead.
Minestralla scored her second goal of the half to increase the lead to 2-0. A cross pass in front of the goal by redshirt junior forward Kat Rader made it impossible for Bisgrove to come up with the save.
Redshirt junior midfielder Ava Hellner said Duke managed to put pressure on Elon defenders throughout the match. She said that while she believed Elon tried to respond aggressively, the Blue Devils were able to maintain their offensive composure and move the ball effectively.
“We had a lot of defenders coming in,” Hellner said. “They did a great job playing the ball whenever there were multiple defenders and I think that was the biggest thing.”
The Blue Devils continued to put the pressure on the Phoenix, utilizing a heavy amount of cross passes to break down Elon’s defense. Yet Bisgrove still continued to compete and finished the game with six saves.
The score remained 2-0 heading into halftime. By then Duke had attempted 14 shots compared to the one shot attempt Elon had. Due to Duke’s relentless offensive attack, Elon couldn’t muster many scoring opportunities as the Blue Devils possessed the ball throughout the majority of the first half.
Payne admitted that it was challenging to try defending Duke’s offense. While Elon often tried to apply pressure defensively, Payne said playing that way versus dropping back is like “picking your poison."
“You can either drop off and invite all the pressure, or you can play like the way we've been playing,” Payne said. “I felt like we were a bit of a hybrid, because at times I felt we were a bit too low, so we tried to get forward.”
Duke entered the second half right where they left off the first. Freshman Jocelyn Travers made an accurate corner kick to junior Mia Oliaro which caused most Elon defenders to surround her. Oliaro made a cross pass to Minestralla who scored her third goal of the game.
Following the goal, the Blue Devils mostly played a safe second half, not looking to do anything that would possibly let Elon back in the game. Duke’s victory propels them to the second round of the tournament as one of the 32 teams.
Even after the loss, the Phoenix held their heads high, refusing to let the defeat discourage them from all the progress they had made.
Senior midfielder Ashlee Brehio said that she was grateful the team was even in a position to compete in the tournament. She said the team’s refusal to quit through the final month of the season contributed to their playoff run.
“There was a period in our season where we were like ‘are we actually going to make the playoffs?’” Brehio said. “I think that's when the whole team decided to dig in and we began to win games.”
Bellner said the team’s performance throughout the season should be a message of what they’re capable of accomplishing. She said that compared to last year’s semifinals appearance, the team has a newfound sense of belief going forward.
“This year has shown that we can actually win our conference, and compete with teams like Duke,” Bellner said. “Last year, we didn't fully have the confidence that we could go all the way, and now that we've seen it, I want everyone to take confidence from that and move forward with acting like we are the best in the conference.”