CARY, N.C. – The Terrapin women’s soccer team knew its first-round ACC Tournament game last night would be a battle. It didn’t take much to see that that the Terps’ prediction about their matchup with seventh-seeded Duke was accurate.

A game in which neither team was willing to surrender an inch remained scoreless until the 71st minute, when midfielder Molly Dreska decided her squad would finally deliver the knockout blow.

Gathering a slick pass from forward Sade Ayinde just inside the Blue Devil penalty box, Dreska rocketed a shot past goalkeeper Tara Campbell and into the top corner of the net for what proved to be the game-winning goal in a physical, intense 1-0 victory.

“I’m happy for Molly, who’s been here for five years,” coach Brian Pensky said. “For her to get the game-winner and lead us into the semifinals Friday night is pretty outstanding.”

The win, which brings the No. 4 Terps (16-2-1) to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2003, was vintage Dreska, Pensky said. The co-captain’s intensity has been a staple all season long for the Terps, who the coach said have become “second-half warriors.”

“It’s not bad to be known as hard-working, scrappy players,” Dreska said. “I’ll take that any day of the week.”

As Pensky and the Terps expected, Dreska’s goal did not come without a fight. The Blue Devils (10-7-3) forced goalkeeper Yewande Balogun to make four saves to preserve the clean sheet. She made one of her most important saves of the season early in the first half, when Duke midfielder Kaitlyn Kerr ripped a shot on net from inside the penalty box. Balogun sprawled to her left to deflect the shot out of bounds.

“They’re a very good team,” Pensky said of the Blue Devils, who outshot the Terps 18-7. “We knew coming in that this was going to be a huge challenge.”

But that the Terps found a way to win was hardly a surprise in a season highlighted by six come-from-behind wins. Even with starting forwards Jasmyne Spencer and Ashley Grove resting on the bench, the Terps finally found the net with Dreska’s strike after having played with the ball in their attacking third for much of the game.

“It was a huge relief to break through and get that goal,” said Pensky, who was named the ACC Coach of the Year on Tuesday. “We’re a grind-it-out kind of team. … I think our kids still have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. They play as if teams don’t think we’re all that good.”

That swagger should help the Terps as they advance in the tournament. The team will battle sixth-seeded Boston College tomorrow night for the opportunity to reach the program’s third ACC championship game and first since 1997.

The Terps should again be able to fuel themselves against the Eagles with a perception of disrespect. Despite a higher national ranking, the Terps sit behind the Eagles in the RPI despite an earlier win this season.

“People out there still think we’re pretty average,” Pensky said.

Last night, the Terps again took another step toward dispelling that notion.

cwalsh@umdbk.com