Pack it up, Pack it in: Soccer teams face N.C. State

RALEIGH - Returning to ACC play after back-to-back wins over non-conference opponents, the 25th-ranked men's soccer team (8-4, 3-1 in the ACC) faced off against N.C. State Sunday. In a very physical game, Duke shutout the Wolfpack (1-8-3, 0-5) to win 7-0 at the Method Road Soccer Complex in Raleigh. "I think we're doing very well now, we've won a couple of games here, it's just that we can't afford any more losses," Duke coach John Rennie said. "Our destiny is still in our own hands." The first half remained very competitive, with the Blue Devils managing to score only once against a determined Wolfpack defense. The first goal came 24 minutes into the game, when senior Ali Curtis maneuvered the ball into the net off an assist from fellow senior Robert Russell during a scramble in State's penalty box. The goal was Curtis' 48th of his career, placing him just three shy of the school record for career goals. The second half opened looking as though it might continue along the same lines as the first, but quickly developed into a very different game. Six minutes into the half, junior Scott Noble knocked a header into the goal off senior Nii-Amar Amamoo's throw-in during another scramble. "Scoring that second goal that way, all of a sudden the ball's in the goal and you wonder what happened," Rennie said. "That took a lot out of N.C. State." The low morale of the Wolfpack immediately became apparent as the Blue Devils dominated the possession of the ball for the remainder of the game. Constantly on the offensive, with players open near the net, it was only a matter of time before Duke scored again. Through sheer desperation, fatigued Wolfpack players held off the attack for another 15 minutes before a wave of fresh players off the Blue Devil bench overcame them. "We knew they were gonna come out real hard, and before the game we made it a goal to try and run them into the ground," freshman forward Danny Wymer said. "I think we did a real good job in the first half, making them tired, and fresh legs in the second half really made the difference." It was a difference Wymer himself was able to capitalize on, scoring his first career goal just four minutes after he entered the game in the second half, and again off a penalty kick 12 minutes later. Duke's bench continued to dominate the match, denying N.C. State an opportunity to develop its offensive game. The Wolfpack never sent more than three players across midfield in the second half, and attempted only three shots in the entire game. The only breaks from the constant barrage of the Blue Devil attack occurred when frustrated defenders booted the ball across the field to gain brief respites from Duke and the sweltering heat. "It was a very hot day, and we used our bench well," Rennie said, noting that the bench accounted for five goals and three assists. Austin Fath contributed to this story.