In a fast-paced thriller of a game Wednesday night, the men's soccer team defeated Wake Forest 1-0.
The contest was a particularly intense one for both the No. 9 Blue Devils (11-3, 3-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) and the Demon Deacons (9-4-1, 2-2). Less than five minutes into the match, junior forward Andy Kwon broke away from Wake's typically stingy defense and hammered the ball into the net, notching the only goal of the game. Following Kwon's goal, Wake increased the pressure on Duke, pushing the ball forward and speeding up the tempo of the match.
"Both teams were real intense, real high pressure," Duke coach John Rennie said. "[Neither team] let the other team play very much. After Wake got down they just threw everything forward. It was a game of them taking a lot of risks.... They almost tied it. That's what you do when you're behind."
Throughout the first half, Duke maintained excellent control of the ball and rode a wave of momentum. In the second half, however, Wake launched a relentless attack, initiating a rapidly escalating defensive battle for both teams.
While both the Blue Devils and the Deacons scurried back and forth across the field, neither team managed to capitalize on any of its opportunities to find the back of the net. Wake Forest was not afraid to play rough, pushing and tripping a hard-beaten Duke squad in their many fruitless attempts to score.
"We scored an early goal, and we had other chances, but we didn't finish them," Rennie said. "We played very well, defensively, and didn't give back any great chances either."
The Blue Devils truly played as a unit Wednesday night, showing a remarkable display of cohesiveness as a team, en route to their 10th shutout of the season. Every Duke player appeared to find his own particular niche on the field. Although the Blue Devils may not have followed through on their chances to score as much as they would have liked to, they demonstrated a fluid, almost telepathic style of play as they denied Wake Forest many opportunities to tie the match.
Senior Sam Smith and sophomore Evan Whitfield stood out for the Blue Devil defense, while Kwon and junior forward Matt Shattuck led an aggressive Duke attack.
Wednesday's victory over Wake not only continues Duke's four-game winning streak; it also marks an important victory both in the ACC and in the Blue Devils' pursuit of an NCAA tournament bid. In addition, it will elevate Duke's confidence going into its upcoming contest against No. 1 Virginia. If the Blue Devils can defeat the Cavaliers on Saturday night, Duke will have a chance to garner the ACC regular season title.
"We're at a crucial point where we need conference wins and regional wins," Kwon said. "If we had lost this game, we could have put ourselves in a hole going into Virginia and the rest of the season. Winning this game puts us in a pretty good position.... I think the team's mentality is getting back on track, and I think everyone's mentally and physically peaking at this point."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.