Men's soccer falls to Demon Deacons in shootout

It probably was too much to ask for--a defeat of the No. 9 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (13-4-2) by a beleaguered Duke squad (8-10-1) in the opening round of the ACC men's soccer tournament at Historic Riggs Field in Clemson, S.C. Even with five starters out of the lineup, however, including the team's leading scorer and second-team All-ACC selection sophomore forward Jordan Cila, the Blue Devils tied the Demon Deacons 1-1, but then lost a heartbreaking shootout 3-1. The loss most likely ends Duke's season--an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament remains doubtful--and consequently the school's string of 23 consecutive winning seasons.

The shootout stood at 1-1 after both teams had each taken three shots. Sophomore midfielder Brian Carroll put Wake on the board with the Demon Deacons' second shot, while Duke's lone first-team All-ACC selection, junior midfielder Donald McIntosh, immediately responded for the Blue Devils. Wake Forest then scored on its fourth and fifth shots, the goals awarded to sophomore Vicente Bastidas and freshman forward Scott Sealy respectively, while Duke was unable to counter.

The game was a very tight affair as evidenced by the result. Although Duke played very solidly defensively, the Blue Devils were awarded a number of good scoring chances, but were just unable to capitalize on them.

"It was a very evenly played game," Duke coach John Rennie said. "We played very well defensively and picked our chances whenever we could get them. We played a well-organized and disciplined game, and did everything that we wanted to do. It was a great effort and a very well played game on both ends."

The Blue Devils' loss dropped their record to 5-3 over the past three ACC tournaments and tied the all-time record between Duke and Wake Forest at 3-3-1 in ACC tournaments.

While Wake Forest looks forward to a semifinal matchup against No. 1 seed Virginia, the Blue Devils' loss most likely brings to an end a very tough season for the young squad. Ravaged by injuries--such as the torn ACL and lateral meniscus of key sophomore defender Matt Ahumada--illness and suspension, the team's lineup constantly changed, leading to inconsistent play on offense most of the season.

As has been the case throughout the season, though, the results obtained were not rewarding of the effort exerted.

"We are very positive about the way we play, but are also very frustrated by the results," Rennie said. "This amount of injuries is something I've never seen before, and yes it did have an effect, but on the other hand, the guys that played tonight played well enough to win. It's just the way our season has gone--we didn't come out with a win."