There was never any need to panic. Honestly.
In the No. 11 men's soccer team's 3-1 win over Wake Forest (11-8-1) in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, the fourth-seeded Blue Devils (12-5-1) missed scoring chances almost every way a shot can be missed. In fact, Duke did not put away the fifth-seeded Demon Deacons until six minutes remained in the game.
But Blue Devil head coach John Rennie and junior forward Brian Kelly said that the team was not overly concerned.
"We felt good, even when we were down," Rennie said. "We played very well the whole game."
"We were creating opportunities," Kelly said. "When you create as many opportunities as we did tonight, you're going to [eventually] get the breaks."
It was Wake Forest that was getting all the breaks in the first half, though. A Kelly goal 10 minutes into the match was nullified by an offsides call. At the 12th minute ACC Rookie of the Year Jay Heaps hit a volley that skidded underneath Demon Deacon goalkeeper Tim Woods, but Woods scrambled backwards just in time for a goal-line save. Soon after that, Woods made a diving save on what would have been a certain Blue Devil goal.
Wake Forest capitalized on Woods' strong netminding by opening the scoring in the 25th minute. On a swift counterattack from a Duke turnover, a through ball was played to the Demon Deacons' Kyle Bachmeier 35 yards out. Bachmeier split Blue Devil fullbacks Adam Mastrelli and Craig Jeidy with his dribble and blew by them with his speed.
Duke freshman goalkeeper John Barth was helpless as he tried in vain for the breakaway save. Bachmeier placed a left-footed shot in the lower left corner to give Wake its only lead of the match.
In response to the Demon Deacon goal, Rennie inserted freshman striker Josh Henderson into the lineup in hopes of jump-starting the offense. The ploy was moderately successful, as Duke became more confident on offense with its best pure finisher back on the field after being out for over two weeks with torn ankle ligaments.
"You can see how much difference one player makes," Rennie said of Henderson.
Despite the spark the healthy Henderson provided, the Blue Devils still did not find the net in the first half. Duke's best chance came at the 40th minute when junior midfielder Kevin Stein found an open net staring him in the face. But Stein stubbed his shot as the ball trickled over the endline.
In the second half, the Blue Devils finally got it together, and the result was overwhelming. Of the three Duke goals in the latter 45 minutes, Kelly accounted for two, with an assist on the other. Kelly's five points for the game set a new ACC tournament single-game record.
"We have so many skilled players who can do what I did," Kelly said. "I was lucky enough to get the goals--they just fell into my lap. Today, I did my job."
Duke knotted the score in the 62nd minute when Kelly struck a rocket from just inside the penalty box on the left side. Woods tipped the left-footed blast, but the shot hit the right post and bounced in.
Kelly nearly scored the game-winner with just over eight minutes to go when, all alone on a breakaway, he eluded Woods with a chip shot. But the shot hit the crossbar and caromed away.
"I was in a little bit of disbelief," Kelly said.
Not to worry, though, for Duke. Kelly made up for his near-miss at the 83:50 mark on a cross that set up the winning goal. Sophomore midfielder Andy Kwon dumped a ball into the left corner to Kelly, who sent a cross into the middle. Henderson got a touch on the ball, but it was Stein who socked the ball into the empty net to give Duke the lead.
"It was a great goal," Kelly said. "All I had to do was play the ball [across]."
As if that weren't enough, Kelly scored his 12th goal of the year with under 90 seconds to play. Junior midfielder Mike Dunne headed a ball to Kelly at exactly the same spot from which Kelly had netted his first goal. But this time, a Wake Forest defender was draped all over him. So, noticing Woods off his line, Kelly neatly volleyed the ball over his head. Woods did not even bother attempting a save, as the shot sneaked under the crossbar to complete the scoring.
All in all, Rennie was pleased with his squad's play.
"The players were poised," Rennie said. "They kept their composure [and] didn't rush things."
But the most popular topic of conversation after the game for both coaches was Kelly's record-setting performance.
"In tournaments, big-game players like [Brian Kelly] come through," Rennie said.
"That's why he's first-team All-ACC," Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich said. "He's one of the most dynamic strikers around--he gives everybody fits. He can create havoc [by getting] behind the defense."
Next up for Duke is tonight's 7 p.m. matchup with top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Virginia. The Cavaliers are undefeated in the last four ACC tournaments, but Duke is unfazed, having pulled out a tie against UVa in the final two minutes of overtime just over two weeks ago.
"There [will be] 22 very skilled players out there," Kelly said. "[Virginia puts] on a show for everybody watching."
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