Sam Fatula | Asst. A&E Editor
Entering Saturday’s game against cross-town rival Robert Morris, the Duquesne women’s lacrosse team expected a hard fought bout.
But after taking a quick 4-0 lead in the game’s first five minutes, the Dukes (9-1) cruised to a 10-3 lead at halftime and a 13-8 win overall to notch their eighth straight win.
After the victory, head coach Mike Scerbo was pleasantly surprised with his team and their aggressive play against the Colonials.
“I really thought it was going to be a closer game,” Scerbo said. “I knew that if we played well and were sharp we could put ourselves in this type of situation. Based on the results of the first half that’s exactly what we did.”
Through the first 30 minutes of play, the Dukes led by a seven-goal margin and outshot Robert Morris 20-4. Junior midfielder Amanda Kidder recorded a hat trick alongside fellow junior midfielder Clare Hurley, who scored two goals of her own in the first half and was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week on Tuesday.
“Our upperclassmen came out of the gates right away,” Scerbo said. “We established ourselves in the game with a nice lead at the halfway mark.”
For the upperclassmen, the non-conference matchup against RMU is always something to look forward to, at least according to Hurley.
“We know that Robert Morris always wants to beat us so bad,” Hurley said. “But we will never let that happen, so we just wanted to give it to them really quick.”
Team captain Haley Marafioti said she takes pride in defeating the Colonials as well.
“It’s nice to bang them all out,” Marafioti said of the team’s quick start. “Once we’re up by ten [goals] and the clock starts running, we just wanted to get it done.”
The Dukes dominated on the scoreboard, in the time of possession and in the turnover battle the entire game. They forced 29 turnovers by game’s end and completed 13 of 20 attempted clears.
With conference play quickly approaching, Scerbo and company took advantage of the large lead by sitting the majority of the starters and giving bench players the opportunity to play the second half.
“Getting into A-10 play, he [Scerbo] wants to make sure that we’re all healthy,” Hurley said. “We just need to be ready to go, but we also know that our bench can do it.”
Marafioti also acknowledged her confidence in the entire team, which has recorded double-digit scoring totals in every game this season.
“We’ve just taken the momentum from non-conference play and continue to work hard,” Marafioti said. “We’re not going to underestimate anybody, it’s going to be a good four weeks.”
“We are in a very good position and are starting to really believe in ourselves,” Scerbo said. “We are a very talented team and can make plays, so it’s going to be good going forward into A-10 play.”
The Dukes will open their conference schedule Friday afternoon against George Washington at 4 p.m.
