May 24, 2008

Duke Falls In Overtime To Penn In National Semifinals, 9-8

TOWSON, Md. -- The Duke Blue Devils lost a heartbreaker to the No. 2 Penn Quakers in the national semifinals, 9-8, in overtime at Johnny Unitas Stadium. It was the fourth straight appearance in the Final Four for Duke, and all four showings have resulted in losses by two goals or less.

Junior attacker Carolyn Davis and sophomore midfielder Lindsay Gilbride did most of the scoring damage. Davis had a game-high five goals on just six shots and Gilbride chipped in two more scores.

"I think that we executed our offensive game plan really well and it opened up a lot of room for me to challenge," said Davis.

Junior goalkeeper Kim Imbesi had another strong NCAA Tournament game, finishing with seven saves. Imbesi completed the NCAA Tournament with a .547 save percentage and a 7.74 goals against average.

It was a defensive struggle from the outset, with both teams attempting to control the ball and slow down the pace of the game. Less than two minutes into the match, ACC Freshman of the Year Emma Hamm went down with an ankle injury and was unable to return.

Although Penn would strike first, the Blue Devils would ultimately take over the first half. Dominating possession, Duke staked itself out to slim leads of 2-1 and 4-2, and led 4-3 going into the locker room. Davis posted her first two goals in the first period, including the Blue Devils first score.