Rain, physical play fail to slow down men's soccer

RALEIGH -- The weather this weekend was terrible. Heavy rains and cloudy skies dominated both Saturday and Sunday.

For the men's soccer team, though, the weekend was pretty nice, as the third-ranked Blue Devils battled a sloppy field and two unheralded opponents in opening the season with a pair of hard-earned victories.

Duke defeated Mercer 1-0 Saturday and then came back Sunday to down Colgate 3-1. The games were part of the Wolfpack Classic, which was hosted by N.C. State at a muddy Method Road Soccer Stadium.

"We played better [Sunday] than we played [Saturday]," Duke head coach John Rennie said. "Our freshmen are getting into it. We've got a lot of new people out there, and they played well. We're 2-0, we better be happy."

On Sunday, Duke encountered a Colgate squad intent on slowing down the more talented Blue Devils by creating a physical contest.

"We expected [Colgate] to be pretty physical because coach saw them play N.C. State [on Saturday]," senior tri-captain A.J. Siebeneck said. "We had to go out and win the battle before we won the game, and the battle was the physical aspect of it."

Junior tri-captain Jason Kreis was also not surprised by the rough play.

"That's just going to be expected really every time you go into a game where you're playing anyone who's basically a nobody, and we're preseason ranked third or whatever," Kreis said.

Duke put the game away, though, at the 64:53 mark when Kelly converted a shot from 20 yards out at the top of the box to give the Blue Devils their final tally.

Despite scoring three goals, the Blue Devils were frustrated all day by the Red Raiders' physical tactics. Rennie often berated the referees in an effort to tighten up the play.

"It's hard to referee a game like that where a lot of the fouls are right after the play," Rennie said. "As a referee, you want to let the game go on. It was a very difficult game to play, and a difficult game to referee. And I thought we handled it very well. My only concern was potential for injuries, which, at this point, I don't think we had any."

Colgate was whistled for 15 fouls, while the Blue Devils were caught 14 times, a reflection of the style of play.

More importantly, Duke registered 19 shots on goal to Colgate's six and had more scoring chances throughout.

The Blue Devils were pleased by the play of the newcomers, particularly Kelly, who had a goal and an assist against Colgate.

"[Kelly] made an immediate impact," Siebeneck said. "As soon as he came in the game, he seemed to be everywhere. That's the kind of play we need from the freshmen."

In Saturday's game, the Blue Devils also encountered a physical opponent and a sloppy field. Mercer played Duke to a standstill until 1:47 remained in the game, when sophomore Stan Brunson converted a head-ball off a Jason Kreis pass from the right side to give the Blue Devils the 1-0 victory.

Duke will take on Roanoke tonight at 7 p.m. before gearing up for the Met Life-adidas Classic next weekend at the Duke Soccer Stadium.

"I think we stepped it up a lot more today," junior Richie Dunn said after the Colgate game. "Yesterday we were a little rusty and a little flat, and today we played with a lot more intensity. I think we still have an identity to develop. We're not totally there yet, but I think we're getting there."

Rennie realizes next weekend's competition will be much stiffer.

"We have one more [game], and then we'll play [second-ranked] Indiana and [13th-ranked] William & Mary," Rennie said. "It's a different level of teams."