DURHAM, N.C. — One after another, players were struggling to deal with pain.

Nataly Arias limped off the field in the second half. Kimmy Bunting stumbled off shortly after, and Aimee Bresani played 90 minutes just fighting to see while wearing a specialized facemask made to protect her broken nose.

The Terrapin women’s soccer team was bruised and battered – but that didn’t stop them from putting forth a valiant effort yesterday against No. 6-ranked Duke at Koskinen Stadium.

The result was a 1-0 loss, but after a sloppy first 45 minutes, the team’s willingness to battle in the second half left optimism.

“We came out in the first half and we didn’t have the energy to beat a team like Duke,” coach Brian Pensky said. “We talked about that at halftime and I thought our energy in the second half was far better. We got in their [zone] quite a bit in the second half.”

Arias has struggled with a heel injury for most of the season and was visibly hurt yesterday. She played only 57 minutes.

Midway through the second half, Bunting dove to head a ball but was left dazed after the play. She did not return and was diagnosed with a concussion, Pensky said.

But despite the difficulties, the Terps had their chance in the second half, especially in the game’s final 20 minutes.

After a lackluster first half, the Terps came out with more intensity and energy.

With 16:30 left in the game, freshman forward Kaila Sciascia had a breakaway and a clear path to the net. But as a Duke defender fled back in an attempt to catch up to her, she rushed a soft shot that trickled on the net and into the hands of a diving Allison Lipsher.

“I just felt at least two defenders on my back,” Sciascia said. “They were catching up to me and I hit a shot off, but it wasn’t enough to put it away.”

Although Sciascia didn’t finish the chance, it turned the momentum of the game around, prompting a strong attack from the Terps after they were struggling to create offensive opportunities.

In the first half, however, the Terps were completely outplayed.

The Blue Devils came at the Terps with a steady attack of long- through balls. On multiple occasions, Nikki Resnick had to come out to retrieve loose balls sitting in the goal box, barely beating out Duke attackers.

Wth 4:32 remaining in the half, Duke was awarded a free kick from about 25 yards out on a questionable call. Defender Carolyn Ford sent the direct kick into the box where Christie McDonald out-jumped the Terps’ defenders and headed the ball past Resnick.

The Terps ended the first half without any shots and were lucky to avoid a bigger halftime deficit.

The Terps’ defense was not as solid as it has been in past games. There were turnovers, sloppy passes and some miscommunication within the back four. Twice the Terps were bailed out by the crossbar.

After the game, Pensky said the team was a little fatigued.

“This conference is about survival of the fittest,” Pensky said he told his team at halftime. “Right now we’re struggling with that. But I guarantee you in the future in this program, we’re not going to struggle with that.”

Contact reporter Andrew Zuckerman at zuckermandbk@gmail.com.