On Saturday, Feb. 9, the women’s lacrosse team found itself at Koskinen stadium down in Durham, NC, where it faced off against Duke. Villanova hoped to finally walk off with a win against the Blue Devils but lost 19-9. 

Last season, the Wildcats finished 9-7, and 4-5 in Big East Play, which ended in a fifth-place finish. This season, the schedule is filled with out of conference games to hopefully best prepare them for later on in their season. 

In Saturday’s game, the Blue Devils walked off having attempted 32 shots while the Wildcats only attempted 22. Both teams had 16 turnovers, yet the draw was controlled mainly by Duke putting it at an offensive advantage. Duke won 19 while Villanova only won 11. They also gained eight free possession shots, while the ‘Cats only had one, also putting the Blue Devils at an advantage. 

From the start, Duke had strong control over the game, firing off eight unanswered goals to start the first half. The lead grew to 15-1 before the Wildcats picked things up. 

Despite the loss, there were a few game leaders who stood out when taking control of the match. These include freshman attacker Brittany Bruno, senior midfielder Devin Hassinger, sophomore attacker Katie Comerford and sophomore attacker Liz Trojan. Katie Comerford found the back of the net to secure Villanova’s first goal of the game. She then found it once more to answer the two goals of Duke’s Catherine Cordy. Duke kept momentum when holding strong a 10-goal lead before the half came to an end. Liz Trojan jumped at the opportunity to get on the board in the second half. A few goals were exchanged next by both teams, with Bruno getting on the board three times and finally came to an end after Devin Hassinger scored for Villanova. 

Villanova takes on Cornell this upcoming Saturday, Feb. 16 at home at 1 p.m.