Coming off a double-overtime upset of then-No. 4 Notre Dame, the Blue Devils entered Tuesday’s game looking to take care of business in their nonconference finale.
After posting another strong defensive effort, they finally broke through in overtime to record their first three-game winning streak of the season.
Duke knocked off Elon 1-0 Tuesday night at Rudd Field in Elon, N.C., on an overtime goal by junior Brian White. The Blue Devils overcame a slow start in the first half thanks to White’s fifth goal of the year, and goalkeeper Robert Moewes made four saves to earn his second shutout of the season.
“We kind of made a pact before the game that we wanted to come out here and make sure we had a shutout,” Duke head coach John Kerr said. “The guys did a great job, from Robert to the back four. The midfield four in front of them did a great job and even the front guys did a great job making sure it wasn’t easy for the backs to play the ball forward.”
Each team came out firing in the overtime period following a scoreless first 90 minutes, with the Phoenix (7-4-3) putting early pressure on the Blue Devil defense.
Elon had a golden opportunity in the 96th minute, but Moewes denied Luke Matthews’ header to give Duke (7-6-2) a chance to strike back on a counterattack.
“I said, ‘Make good decisions because you want to understand that they’re tired, we’re tired and if you make your angles right and you make good decisions on the ball, we’re going to get opportunities,” Kerr said. “And soon enough, we did.”
Less than three minutes later, freshman Brandon Williamson—the hero in Friday’s win against the Fighting Irish—found White near the top of the penalty box to set up the junior’s third game-winning goal of the year.
White used a quick turn to get by the Elon defense before dribbling by Phoenix goalkeeper Matthew Jegier and slotting the ball into the back of the net with his left foot.
“I’m so happy for him because he’s been so close for such a long time and he needed that confidence builder,” Kerr said. “He did a fabulous job keeping his composure in front of the goal.”
The contest was even throughout, starting in the first half when both goalkeepers had to make timely saves to keep the game scoreless. Moewes was at his best from the start, making two first-half stops to shut down an Elon offense that leads the Colonial Athletic Association in shots on goal and assists per game.
The Blue Devils’ best chances in the first half came when Williamson fired a shot just over the crossbar in the 13th minute and when Jegier had to deflect a White cross out of play. Duke focused on controlling possession in the opening period, biding its time before trying to beat a goalkeeper with six shutouts on the year and keeping the pressure on the Phoenix offense with aggressive defensive play.
“We wanted to make them play the ball earlier than they wanted to play it, and we knew that there would be opportunities to steal it off them at some point,” Kerr said. “We just wanted to make sure they were uncomfortable on the ball and our two strikers did a great job doing that.”
After halftime, the defensive battle continued, with the Blue Devils ramping up their offense in search of a game-winner.
Freshman CC Uche had a shot blocked in the 55th minute, before classmates Max Moser and Suniel Veerakone each found the goal’s frame with opportunities in the next 20 minutes. Jegier kept Duke off the scoreboard in regulation by stopping a White attempt in the 86th minute to force overtime, but the Blue Devils kept at it to get back above .500 for the season.
Duke will look to preserve its momentum in its regular season finale at No. 17 Virginia Friday night.
“It gives us a lot of confidence, a lot of belief, and that’s what we’ve been searching for the last half of the season,” Kerr said. “I really like this team going into the late stages of the season, and I’m very excited. They deserve it and they’ve earned it and we just got to keep it rolling.”
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