The Blue Devils held a 2-1 lead late in the game, but were unable to hold on and capture the victory.
Duke tied Davidson 2-2 Tuesday night after 20 minutes of overtime at Alumni Stadium in Davidson, N.C., as it failed to earn a win for the fifth straight contest. The team did snap a three-game losing streak with the draw, but a goal by Wildcat senior Alec Rotunda in the 74th minute prevented the Blue Devils from coming home with a victory.
"It’s frustrating because it’s not like we’re in bad positions or our defense is terrible. It’s just a case of stepping up and doing the job and getting in the other team’s face while they’re shooting," Duke head coach John Kerr told GoDuke.com. "They scored two goals from the top of the box again, and we have to improve that facet of our defending because if we do, then we’ll be able to hold the lead longer."
As has been in the case in many of their contests this season, the Blue Devils (4-3-2) fell behind early. Coming off an assist from midfielder Matthew Gandier, forward Maxi Pragnell scored his first goal of the season for Davidson (3-3-3) from just outside the box in the 10th minute to give the Wildcats a quick 1-0 advantage.
Duke fought back, getting off six shots in the 20 minutes following the Davidson goal without allowing a shot, but none of these attempts found the back of the net. It wasn’t until the 38th minute that the Blue Devils were able to get on the board with a score from forward Brody Huitema—his first of the year after leading the team with five goals as a sophomore last season. Huitema took a cross from defender Carter Manley and volleyed it past Wildcat goalkeeper Matt Pacifici to even the score at 1-1.
"I thought we did well to recover from being a goal down again and we need to get out of that habit of trying to… chase the game," Kerr said. "We did ever so well to equalize. Brody Huitema scored a [wonderful] goal and then we go up early in the second half 2-1 and had total control of the game."
Following halftime, Duke came out firing, and sophomore Macario Hing-Glover scored just two minutes into the second half following a misplay by a Davidson defender.
It looked as if the Blue Devils would finally be able to pull out their first road win of the season, as they remained ahead 2-1 for a majority of the final period. But in the 74th minute, the Wildcats equalized with Rotunda gathering a loose ball in the box and burying it past Duke goalie Wilson Fisher for his third goal of the season.
In the overtime period, both teams had chances—with the Blue Devils and Davidson getting off two shots on goal apiece—but neither team could capitalize on their opportunities. Duke had one last corner kick on the final play of the game, but once again, could not convert.
Though the Blue Devils led in every offensive category—recording nine shots on goal to the Wildcats’ six and outshooting them 19-12 overall—the scoreboard read 2-2 when the final whistle blew for the end of the game.
After coming away without the victory, Duke will try to find that spark that guided it to a hot start at the beginning of the season. The Blue Devils began the season 4-0—their best start in the past six years—but have dropped three games and finished with two ties since.
"We scouted them well and we saw there were some weaknesses down their flanks and our guys were great. We just [have] to make sure to make our runs properly and finish," Kerr said. "[I am] just disappointed for the group because we deserve better. We should have gotten a win tonight, and it’s one that got away, but at least we didn’t lose."
Duke returns to Koskinen Stadium from its three-game road trip Friday, as it resumes ACC play against Syracuse.
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