We all know how annoying it is when a CD skips at the same spot forever. Now imagine translating that repetition to a soccer match as you continue to miss goal-scoring chances over and over again until the game ends in a loss. Welcome to the frustrating world of the men's soccer team (2-6-1, 0-3 in the ACC). The Blue Devils lost 3-2 in yet another one-goal heartbreaker to the Harvard Crimson (3-1-2) Friday night at Koskinen Stadium.
"It's like we're inventing ways to lose and not score goals," Duke head coach John Rennie said. "Harvard's a good team and we're playing at home, but this is a big disappointment."
The Crimson's decisive goal came in the 71st minute on a swift counterattack after Duke was unable to net a goal on the other end. Harvard midfielder Brian Charnock, who had a goal and two assists in the game, pushed the ball forward after his defense cleared it out of the Crimson's own 18-yard box. Using the right side to attack, Charnock sent a ball on the ground just behind the Blue Devils' last line of defense. Teammate Anthony Tornaritis ran onto the pass perfectly near the 18-yard line and sent a shot past Duke goalie Justin Trowbridge for a 3-1 lead.
Despite the two-goal deficit, the Blue Devils were able to regroup and mount yet another offensive onslaught. During the match, Duke outshot Harvard 16-7, but could not capitalize on its opportunities. Nigi Adogwa, who had both of the Blue Devils' goals, pressed forward with time winding down in the second half. At about the eight-minute mark, Adogwa took a cross and headed the ball into the crossbar before rebounding his own shot for a goal. Duke cut Harvard's lead to 3-2 but could not finish again in the waning moments of the match.
"We don't finish enough opportunities and we give up too many," sophomore Danny Kramer said. "We just didn't make our opportunities work tonight. Myself included, I had three or four chances in front of the net and missed them all."
The Crimson jumped on top of their goal-scoring chances early with a pair of goals on their first three shots. Charnock opened the floodgates with a header from Nicholas Tornaritis in the 10th minute of play. Six and a half minutes later, forward Matt Hoff scored on a scramble in front of Duke's net that put Harvard up 2-0.
Similar to Wednesday's game at North Carolina, Duke turned on its engines after getting down early. After Hoff's goal, Kramer had two great chances for the Blue Devils just yards away from Harvard's goal but could not challenge netminder Ryan Johnson. Finally, Adogwa headed in a cross from Justin Bodiya on a free kick with 18:25 remaining in the half to send his squad into halftime down 2-1.
The first 20 minutes of the match proved to be critical, as the Crimson were able to finish their chances. One possible reason for Duke's slow start may have been Wednesday night's double-overtime loss at North Carolina.
"I think it's more mental fatigue, emotional fatigue rather than physical fatigue," Rennie said. "There certainly is some physical fatigue but it's just so hard to get ready after Wednesday's game." In Duke's last seven matches, it has lost six games by a combined seven goals. The Blue Devils have been on the short end of the stick in many of those hard-fought matches, and Friday was no different.
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