You have to hand it to the men's soccer team. Every so often, it hands in an edge-of-your-seat nail-biter, waiting until the final minutes to decide the outcome, as beautifully as if it had been scripted that way all along.
Wednesday night's matchup at No. 15 Wake Forest (7-5, 1-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) was no different, as the No. 5 Blue Devils (11-2, 3-1) edged an opponent 1-0 for the second time in three games.
A defensive battle all the way, the first and only goal of the game was not scored until there were just under four minutes remaining. At that point, sophomore midfielder Troy Garner managed to shake the Demon Deacon player who had been hounding him all night. He sent the ball to fellow sophomore midfielder Gaston Haupert in what Haupert called "a perfect cross." Haupert headed the ball down, Wake goalkeeper Sean Conner went the other way, and the ball found the net. All that remained was for Blue Devil keeper Atli Knutsson to hold off Wake's final comeback attempts. A few minutes later, Duke had notched another ACC win.
For Haupert, the goal was especially sweet. It was his first of the year, and its effect was undeniable.
"I don't think I've ever felt better in my life," Haupert said. "I was so excited, I jumped up and down like a little kid. I turned around and tried to embrace the whole team. I think that's the best celebration we've had all year."
The goal may have been beautiful, but the overall game was far from pretty. Yellow cards flew-seven were given out for the match, including a pair for the coaches: one for Duke's John Rennie and another for Wake Forest's Jay Vidovich. Duke freshman defender Robert Russell and junior midfielder Jay Heaps also received yellow cards.
In addition to the plague of penalties, the Blue Devils faced stubborn opposition from the Demon Deacons. Throughout the first half, Duke's speed threatened to overcome Wake Forest, but the Deacon defense was able to hold off any actual scoring. After halftime, however, Duke had its hands full keeping up with the energy of a revitalized Wake squad.
"This was a very tough game for us," Haupert said. "It was hard to penetrate their defense. It was a back-and-forth game the whole time."
The Devils turned to Knutsson in the second half to stop the goal-minded Deacons, and he came through with flying colors. The sophomore made six saves in goal, five of which were second-half stops, on the way to his sixth shutout of the season. Despite the increased pressure, Knutsson said that he maintained his confidence in his defensive line, composed of Russell, Nii-Amar Amamoo and Dwayne Harris.
"I figured out that since they weren't scoring, they didn't have great scoring chances," Knutsson said. "[The defensive players] are providing me with excellent coverage. The back three, all freshmen, have grown a lot since the season started. We're much more of a team unit now; we understand each other."
This matchup held consequences greater than most this season thus far. Duke is now tied with N.C. State for the lead in the ACC. Wednesday's victory put the Blue Devils in position to spring into sole possession should they defeat the Wolfpack on Saturday. Duke's 11-2 record is its best start since 1992. Moreover, this win had special significance for the Duke players, who may have questioned their ability to defeat high-ranking opponents after losses to No. 3 Maryland and top-ranked Indiana.
"This was a test for us," Knutsson said. "As a team, we can win the little games and the mediocre ones, so we wanted to know that we could win the big games like this one."
Duke answered that question with a bang on Wednesday, and the momentum is with them for a strong second half.
"It was a great win," Knutsson said. "Wake Forest had a great team, but we were able to beat them. Everyone was giving their best. I don't think the team has played a better game this season."
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