DURHAM, N.C. – California won the 2015 Duke Nike Classic with a decisive 3-1 victory at No. 18 Duke with goals from Ifeoma Onumonu, Arielle Ship and Celeste Boureille to run its unbeaten streak to four games.
Onumonu opened the scoring in the 12th minute to end Duke's 481-minute season-opening shutout streak, the second consecutive game that the Golden Bears (3-1-1) ended such a streak after doing the same to North Carolina two days earlier. Ship added the game winning goal less than two minutes later, and Boureille sealed the victory in the 60th minute with a goal that secured the tournament title over the fourth-ranked Tar Heels due to goal differential.
Ship was named the Offensive MVP of the tournament after finishing the weekend with two goals and two assists against two top 20 teams on the road. Sandra Ley and Lorin Hom were named to the All-Tournament team with the defender and midfielder each playing the entire 200 minutes in Cal's two games.
“I think we had a good scouting report on Duke and we knew how to solve their pressure, which allowed us to out-possess them to create scoring opportunities for us,” Ship said of Cal's offensive performance against a Duke team that had not allowed a goal coming in to the game. “In big games like this, you have to be able to execute, and we finished our opportunities in front of goal. We are all feeling very good about this win and this weekend!”
The Bears opened the scoring at 11:45 with Onumonu's first goal of the season with an assist from Ship 10 yards out. The duo then paired up again at 13:29 when Onumonu fed Ship with a header over the backline that Ship calmly struck into the far corner to give the Bears a 2-0 lead.
"I passed it to Ari and saw an opening through the defense," Onumonu said of her goal. "Ari played me past the line of defense, and I just put it away. On the assist, I heard her tell me to pass it along, so I got my head on it to get it over the defense, and she took care of the rest."
Duke was able to steal one back in the 38th minute as Danielle Duhl ran through the ball as Cal netminder Emily Boyd was making the grab on a corner kick, but Boureille sealed the victory at 59:13 when the Bears scored on their own corner kick opportunity. Kelly Fitzgerald took the set piece and Ship dummied it behind her to give Boureille a strike into the net to preserve the win.
"Kelly played a perfectly driven ball on the ground and all I had to do was pass it into the corner," Boureille said of the goal. "It felt like a weight was off our shoulders scoring that third goal. It was crucial to regain that two-goal lead because it gained us confidence in finishing the game off strong and focusing on our defensive shape."
California returns home next weekend for games against UC Riverside and Saint Mary's. Friday's game against UC Riverside will be a doubleheader with the Cal men's soccer team with the Bears and Highlanders kicking off at 2 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.
Neil McGuire's Take
"We are very proud of the way the team played today. Coach Church has an exceptional team, and we had to be at our best."
"The most impressive part of the weekend was watching the players fight for one another, and fight for Cal."
Goal Summary
11:45, Cal – Ifeoma Onumonu (Arielle Ship) – Give and go before #22's strike to the far corner
13:29, Cal – Arielle Ship (Ifeoma Onumonu) – #22 header over backline, #10 strike from 14 yards to left corner
37:38, Duke – Danielle Duhl (Christina Gibbons) – #23 run through follow-up after corner kick
59:13, Cal – Celeste Boureille (Arielle Ship, Kelly Fitzgerald) – Corner kick dummied by #10, finished by #13
News & Notes
● California wins the Duke Nike Classic after drawing #4 North Carolina (1-1) and defeating #18 Duke (2-0). Cal and UNC both went 1-0-1, but the Bears earn the title due to goal differential
● Bears on the All-Tournament Team: Sandra Ley, Lorin Hom, Arielle Ship (Offensive MVP)
● Ifeoma Onumonu's goal at 11:45 ended a 481-minute season-opening shutout streak for the Blue Devils. Duke had not allowed a goal and outscored opponents 12-0 to open the season before meeting Cal.
● The second consecutive game that Cal ended an opponents season-opening shutout streak. In Friday's game, Cal ended #4 North Carolina's 374-minute shutout streak to open the season.
● Ifeoma Onumonu scored her first goal of the season with her 12th minute goal
● Arielle Ship scored for the second consecutive game and now has five goals and two assists in five games this season
● Kelly Fitzgerald tallied an assist for the second consecutive game
● California earned its first win against Duke after dropping the previous three meetings
● Cal's unbeaten streak moves to four games, outscoring opponents 11-3 over that span
● California remains unbeaten after scoring the first goal in a game as well as after leading at the half with a 3-0-1 record
● All five opponents have been held to six shots on goal or less this season after Duke managed four attempts on frame
On The Horizon
California returns home next weekend for games against UC Riverside and Saint Mary's. Friday's game against UC Riverside will be a doubleheader with the Cal men's soccer team with the Bears and Highlanders kicking off at 2 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.
