The men's soccer team's performance against Davidson Friday night did not exactly awe the fans, as Duke did not score the entire first half in the Blue Devils' 2-0 victory against unranked Davidson. That's 2-13 Davidson.
But talk to the team after the game, and it gave quite a different assessment.
"This was the best effort we have given all year; I am extremely happy with the result," coach John Rennie said.
That is not to say that this win came easily, as it took a pair of late Troy Garner goals to put a pesky Wildcat team away. The Blue Devils (11-1) controlled the field for virtually the entire first half, allowing Davidson only one shot. But they were unable to put the ball by Davidson goalkeeper Brad Strobe.
Despite the Blue Devils' inability to score, the coaching staff seemed pleased with the team's performance, even at intermission.
"We played very well," Rennie said at halftime. "[Midfielders] Scott Noble and Robert Russell controlled the middle of the field. We'll get a goal in the second half."
It took the Blue Devils a little over 30 minutes into the second half to prove Rennie correct. Duke threatened early, as Noble skimmed a shot just over the crossbar, and finally broke the scoreless tie in the 77th minute when junior forward Troy Garner beat his defender and placed a left-footed shot past a diving Strobe and into the net. Seniors Jay Heaps and Evan Whitfield assisted on the goal.
From that point on, the Davidson team looked completely overwhelmed. The Blue Devils appeared to raise their intensity level, and for the final 14 minutes, the ball almost never left the Davidson side of the field.
Duke had a series of near-misses before Garner struck again in the 88th minute on one of the most impressive plays of the season. He dribbled through two Davidson defenders, faked out the goalkeeper and banked the ball off of a diving defender into the net. Heaps collected his second assist of the evening on the score.
"This was our last game before fall break and it was important to go in on a positive note," Garner said. "We need all the momentum we can get going into Wednesday's game against Wake Forest.
"I agree with Coach [Rennie] that this was the best effort of our season, even though the opponent was not of our caliber."
The win leaves Duke optimistic for its game with Wake Forest tonight at 7 p.m. The Demon Deacons are now ranked 18th in the country by Soccer America-fourth-highest among ACC teams. The game, therefore, carries extra implications for both ACC and national rankings.
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