The 13th-ranked Georgia soccer team’s record-setting season came to an end Sunday afternoon as the Bulldogs lost 1-0 to Duke.

In a game eerily similar to an earlier loss to Mississippi State, a match in which Georgia outshot its opponent 26-9 but lost 1-0, Georgia couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net against the Blue Devils (9-5-7).

“They bent and didn’t break,” head coach Patrick Baker said. “We thought going into half time there would be more of that to come, and we thought we’d stick one. It never happened.”

For most of the match, the Bulldogs (18-4-2) dominated play. Although both teams had 12 shots, the Bulldogs had the better of the chances. Three of their shots were cleared off the goal line by Duke players that were not the goalkeeper.

Georgia paid the price for its offensive inefficiency late in the second half.

In minute 71, Elisabeth Redmond, a Duke forward, gathered the ball at the edge of Georgia’s box. She turned and took a shot that curved into the upper 90 of the goal for her seventh goal of the year. Georgia’s goalkeeper Michelle Betos got a hand to it, but couldn’t stop the shot.

The Bulldogs switched from their normal 4-2-2 to a more attacking-minded 4-3-3 with 16:43 remaining in the match, moving junior defender Megan Tomlinson into a forward position. The switch generated more offensive movement, but the Bulldogs never got a clean shot on goal.

Despite the loss, Baker remains determined for next year.

“Every day since year one we’ve worked hard as a staff to turn the program around,” Baker said. “We wanted to send (seniors) Beth (Klueter) and Joni (Vickers) off on a good note. Our approach going into next year will be the same. We lost the SEC championship by one point. We lost in the SEC tournament final. We were minutes away from going to the Sweet 16. I know for myself this is going to be motivation to win an SEC championship, to win the SEC tournament and to win NCAA tournament games.”

Next year Georgia will return all the players from the 2007 team except for Vickers and backup goalkeeper Klueter. Baker plans to bring a top-10 recruiting class.

Sophomore Carrie Patterson said Sunday’s loss left “a bitter taste” in their mouths which should inspire team members to push harder next season.

“Hopefully, we can continue to build on this.”