Clemson denies Blue Devils conference title with 1-0 win

WINSTON-SALEM - This wasn't the game that the men's soccer team would have picked as its only time to be shut out all season.

But a 1-0 loss to Clemson (20-1) was the way the ACC Tournament finals unfolded, as Duke (18-3) lost its bid for a first-ever ACC Championship.

The fourth-ranked Blue Devils scored in every other game this season but were unable to penetrate the top-ranked and top-seeded Tigers' four-man defensive line.

"Today we just couldn't get behind their defense," coach John Rennie said. "We played very well, but that was the difference."

In the entire game, Duke managed only five shots, only one of which was on goal. That shot, an acrobatic bicycle kick from Jay Heaps, landed right in the arms of Clemson goalie and tournament MVP Josh Campbell. Heaps took four of Duke's five shots.

The Clemson defense shut down forward Ali Curtis, who had scored a goal in five consecutive games since his return from an injured left knee. Late in the first half, Curtis had the ball at his feet inside the penalty box but was unable to fire off a shot.

For most of the game, the Duke defense was also able to shut down Clemson. Its one lapse came in the 53rd minute, when Tiger midfielder Mark Lisi sent a long cross right to the left corner of the penalty box. Before goalie Atli Knutsson could turn around, Tiger Scott Bower had rushed in to one-touch the ball into the far corner of the goal.

The Blue Devils saw shutting Clemson down to one goal as a source of pride.

"We were a little tired in the last third of the game, having played three games in four days," Rennie said. "The effort was there. The work rate was there. We just weren't quite as sharp as we wanted to be."

The most draining part of Duke's weekend came Friday night against Virginia, as the Blue Devils fought the Cavaliers to a 3-1 victory in double overtime. The teams finished regulation tied at one and battled through a scoreless 15-minute first overtime period.

In the second overtime, Heaps passed the ball to Curtis near the goal net in the 113th minute of the game. After Curtis drilled the ball into the net, he took his jersey off and ran to the swarm of teammates waiting to congratulate him on the sideline.

"It was a breakaway; it just happened out of nowhere," Virginia goalie Brock Yetso said. "It was a great shot by [Curtis]. I give him all the credit in the world."

Four minutes later, Curtis drew Yetso out of the goal again, this time dishing the ball to Troy Garner, who was waiting at the far post. Garner easily tapped the ball into the goal.

In a defensively minded first half, Duke capitalized on one of its two shots. At the 25-minute mark, Ali Curtis received the ball at the 18-yard line and crossed it to Peter Gail, who stood wide open in front of the goal. Gail easily slipped the ball in, putting Duke on the board.

The second half saw more shooting. Virginia added four shots to the one it had in the first half, scoring in the 76th minute. In a scramble in front of the goal, Cavalier Curtis Bush, who had recently come off the bench, was able to settle the ball from the air and shoot it into the left corner.

Duke had not beaten Virginia since the NCAA Final Four in 1995, and the players took solace in achieving that goal.

"Everybody just had the attitude that we wouldn't let this one get away from us," Gail said. "It was definitely a hump for us to get over, and I'm glad we did."

Note: Sweeper Kevin Sakuda, Curtis, Whitfield, Knutsson and Heaps were all named to the All-ACC Tournament team.