WINSTON-SALEM - To call last night's ACC men's soccer final between the Blue Devils (15-0-3) and the Virginia Cavaliers (12-7-1) a simple game would perhaps be the understatement of the year. Two of the most storied programs in the conference waged a three-overtime, 129-minute war, before Duke was crowned the ACC champion.
As the third of four possible overtimes drew to a close, the possibility loomed that this brilliantly-hard-fought 1-1 tie would come down to penalty kicks. But then the game-winning goal came in a fashion worthy of such a contest.
With just over six minutes remaining in the overtime, Dwayne Harris broke loose on the right sideline and hammered a long cross toward the Virginia net.
Forward Stephen Pate charged as the ball descended steadily towards the front-left corner of the goal. Just before the ball hit the ground, Pate lunged with his left foot extended. Ball and foot met, and the game-winning goal flew upwards into the left side of the goal, giving Duke a 2-1 victory.
Pate began running up the sideline as he was mobbed by his teammates. The Cavaliers fell to the ground in a stunned silence.
"Honestly I don't even remember it," Pate said. "I saw that Dwayne got the ball, and he crossed it. I was just worried about getting in front of my man, and about getting a foot to it. I kind of dove out and put a foot to it. The next thing I know, I heard everyone cheer. I just turned around and started
In addition to bringing home the ACC tournament trophy, the win brought an end to the Blue Devils' previous bad luck in the tournament. Duke has won a national championship, but in four previous trips to the ACC tournament final, including one last year, the Blue Devils have gone home empty-handed.
Afterwards, Rennie alluded to the previous tournament defeats as he discussed his feelings after win.
"Right now I'm just very very happy for these guys, especially the seniors," he said. "I'm happy for Duke, and certainly I'm happy for myself. It's just a great win. It's been a long time coming, and it's certainly something we are very proud of."
Entering the game, many might not have expected so tight a contest. The Blue Devils handled the Cavaliers without difficulty in their last meeting, beating Virginia 4-0 at Koskinen Stadium.
But Duke was taking their opponent very seriously.
"We knew going into this game that any game for a championship is not going to be easy," he said. "We did not expect an easy game, and obviously it was not an easy game."
The early part of the first half did not change the expectation of a convincing Duke win. Ten minutes into the game, Trevor Perea hit Donald McIntosh running down the right sideline. McIntosh crossed the ball to Ali Curtis. Curtis knocked a left-footer into the net to put the Blue Devils on top 1-0
The early goal set the stage for a rout, but despite a number of good opportunities, Duke could not find the back of the net again in the half.
Virginia had played two games entering the final, and logic held that the Cavaliers would tire in the second half. The opposite occurred. Not three minutes into the half, Virginia forward Stephen Barnes found Kyle Martino wide open in the Duke box. Martino knocked the ball past a diving Jeff Haywood to pull the game even at 1-1.
"Our only disappointment was shooting ourselves in the foot in the first half, not scoring two or three goals which we quite easily could have done," Rennie said. "Then we shot ourselves in the foot in the second half by falling asleep and allowing them a goal to get back in it."
The rest of the second half, and the two overtimes, were marked by extremely physical play that kept either team from putting the game away. The two teams combined for an astounding 54 fouls and three yellow cards.
In the end, Duke emerged victorious with seven players being named to the all-tournament team, and senior Troy Garner being named the tournament MVP. Garner had a strong final game after putting up an impressive two goals and two assists in Duke's opening 4-0 win against UNC.
While Rennie and the team waxed poetic on the victory, the best comment on the Duke performance came from Virginia.
"Duke played with an intensity we have not seen this year," said Martino.
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