DURHAM, N.C. – Postseason officially kicked into gear Sunday afternoon and it was pedal to the metal for the second-ranked and No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils (18-1-0), as they stormed past the No. 8 seed Boston College Eagles (10-9-1), 3-1, in the opening round of the 2017 ACC Tournament at Koskinen Stadium.
The Blue Devils used a trio of first-half goals to create all the distance it needed on Sunday and advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament for the first time since the 2011 season. There Duke will face the No. 4 seed Virginia Cavaliers for the chance to play in the ACC Tournament Finals. Kickoff for that match is set for Friday, Nov. 3 at 5:30 p.m. ET at the MUSC Health Stadium in Charleston, S.C. The contest will be broadcast on RSN and live streamed on ACC Network Extra, which fans can access through WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app.
Sunday's win pushes the Blue Devils' winning streak to 18-straight games, which is tied for the 11th-longest streak in Duke athletics history and the longest since men's basketball won 25 straight from 2010-11. The victory also gives Duke sole possession of second on the program's single-season wins list, placing them just four from tying the record of 22 set in 2011.
Church's squad also moved up to 11 home victories for the 2017 season, which stands three from tying the school record of 14 (2011).
Duke put on a clinic in the first half on both sides of the ball, scoring all three goals in the first 45 minutes while limiting the Eagles to just a pair of shots. The first score came at the 13:01 mark, as Ella Stevens perfectly placed a corner kick into the box that Chelsea Burns would head into the back of the net for her sixth goal of the season.
The score would bump up to 2-0 in favor of the home squad just 13 minutes later, as Imani Dorsey put a marvelous jumping touch on a low Kayla McCoy cross to give her 10 scores this year. Dorsey would repay the favor in the 41st minute, as she slid a pass up to McCoy who fired a rolling shot from just outside the 18' past the keeper and into the left side of the goal.
Three-point performances from both McCoy and Dorsey continue a 2017 campaign that has watched the duo pace one of the best offenses in the country. McCoy, who has 11 goals and six assists, leads Duke with 28 points, while Dorsey's 10 scores and seven dimes combine for 27.
Dorsey's goal also went down as the game winner on Sunday, moving her into a tie for ninth on the career list with nine.
BC came out on the attack in the second half, looking to claw its way back into the contest with seven shots to Duke's five. The Eagles only managed to get one on goal in the early stages of the second half, but finally broke through at the 75:55 mark, as Carly Leipzig headed a Sam Coffey corner into goal to cut Duke's lead to 3-1. That would be all she wrote for the Eagles however, as they were only able to get off two more shots for the remainder of the match, as Duke's defense closed out a 3-1 victory.
Duke took home the shots battle to the tune of 11-9, with five on goal compared to BC's three. The Blue Devils are now 15-1-0 this season when outshooting their opponents.
EJ Proctor secured her 16th win of the season in 68:59 minutes of play, making one save in four shots faced. Brooke Heinsohn played the final 21 minutes of Sunday's contest, making one save and allowing BC's lone score.
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