Coming off back-to-back losses that dropped previously fifth-ranked Duke (6-4) out of the top 25, the Blue Devils will take any win they can get. So Duke was happy with its 4-0 win over Buffalo (3-5-1) Friday night at Koskinen Stadium.
"It was a good, solid defensive effort," coach John Rennie said. "There are no easy games, that was the message all week, and I give Buffalo credit for trying to come out and play good soccer. We did a good workmanlike job, and some guys got playing time that usually don't and they did a good job."
Rennie used 20 players in the game, including sophomore Adam Guren and freshman Justin Bodiya, two substitutes who each scored their first goal of the season in the second half.
Sophomore Andy Borman also thought he had his first collegiate goal 25 minutes into the game on a give-and-go inside the penalty area with Jordan Cila, but he was ruled off-sides.
Still it seemed only a matter of time before Duke would get on the scoreboard. Four minutes after Borman's aborted goal, Cila was able to put a Robert Russell cross into the net. The goal was Cila's eighth, tying the freshman with Ali Curtis for the team lead.
Russell scored on his own nine minutes later, taking a free kick from the left corner of the goal box and bending the ball between goalkeeper Brian Wozniak and the left post of the goal.
Duke had a chance to extend the lead when hustle by defender Nii-Amar Amamoo led to a penalty shot with two seconds left in the half. Curiously, goalkeeper Jeff Haywood took the kick, which was saved by Wozniak.
"I have no idea," Rennie said when asked why Haywood took the shot. "It was obviously not a great decision."
Duke's play was sloppy in the first half, but the Blue Devils picked up their play noticeably after the break.
"The second half we tried to come out hard," Guren said. "We pressed them to try and get some turnovers up front and get some easy goals."
Duke's third goal started with a Russell free kick from 40 yards out. Guren used a header to redirect the kick over the goalie and under the crossbar.
The Blue Devils' last goal was also its most surprising. Freshman defender Bodiya had recorded only one shot at Duke, but was the recipient of a smart play by the senior Curtis.
After a Bulls' turnover and foul, Curtis used a quick re-start to cross the ball to a wide-open Bodiya before the surprised Buffalo defense could set up.
"Ali had his head up, he was playing really intuitively today," said the freshman defender, who one-touched the ball in.
Lost in the offense was a dominating effort by the Duke defense. The Blue Devils gave up seven goals last week in losses to Radford and North Carolina, but held the Buffaloes to just one shot in each half.
"It was a good effort by the back three and the midfield as well," said Haywood, who did a much better job stopping goals than scoring them. "The big thing is defending as a team-it's not just the [fullbacks'] job to defend."
The victory came at a crucial time for the team, which has little room for error if it expects a bid to the NCAA tournament. Although the players are aware of the implications of another loss, they said it's important not to look past each opponent.
"We have to string a couple wins together and get our record back," Guren said. We're taking it day-to-day. When's our next game? See, we're taking it one day at a time."
Duke finishes its four-game homestand against American Wednesday, before travelling to N.C. State Sunday.
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