CARY, N.C. -- Sometimes it's not in the cards, no matter how hard you try. In a match that portrayed the Blue Devils' season, Wake Forest forward and ACC Player of the Year Jeremiah White scorched a goal past Duke netminder Justin Trowbridge with under two minutes remaining in regulation to make the score 2-1. The Demon Deacons (15-3, 4-2 in the ACC) tacked on another goal with seconds left at the SAS Soccer Complex en route to a 3-1 victory over the Blue Devils (8-10-1, 2-4).
"We had two players running at the ball and he was the first one to it," Duke senior captain Matt Ahumada said. "[White] hit a dinger in the corner-- we lapsed for two seconds and he made it count."
Freshman Steven Curfman used his corner kick to set up White's goal; Curfman sent a ball into the box that was deflected several times before it rolled out to the top of the 18-yard box. There, White capitalized on being at the right place at the right time and blasted a one-time shot to the top-left corner of the net. Trowbridge, who had no time to make a save, looked shocked when the ball made its way through a maze of bodies without being deflected or blocked.
After pushing their defensive line to midfield early in the match, the Demon Deacons were also a bit shaken when the Blue Devils took an early lead. Duke employed a counter-attacking strategy that was successful throughout the match, and was on the board first with 12:09 remaining in the opening half. Senior Justin Bodiya took a throw-in from the right side of the field and found Blake Camp, a first-team All-ACC selection, streaking down the sideline. After letting the ball bounce once, Camp took a shot on goal from roughly 25 yards away that curled high into the air and found its way past Demon Deacon goalkeeper Brad McEachern into the top left portion of the net.
"I saw some space behind the defense, and I figured it was a good opportunity to strike quickly," Camp said. "It was a good shot, although it was probably the luckiest shot I've ever had."
Wake Forest quickly retaliated, as the team scored the equalizer just under three minutes later. White took a pass to the right side of the field before finding teammate Wells Thompson with open space in front of the goal. Thompson had a two-on-one with Trowbridge, and opted to pass to Curfman, who netted the Demon Deacons' first goal for a 1-1 tie.
After halftime, the Blue Devils regrouped and mounted an assertive offensive attack. They had their share of opportunities on Wednesday night, as they outshot Wake Forest 10-7, utilizing their counter-attacking scheme. One of Duke's best chances to take the lead came in the early stages of the second half when junior Nigi Adogwa found himself deep in Demon Deacon territory. Adogwa, who wreaked havoc as the lone forward, sent a ball across the penalty area for senior Jordan Cila, who barely missed the net on a volley.
"When you give your best effort, you give everything you have and play your heart out, you accept whatever result that you get," Duke head coach John Rennie said. "We certainly did that and I'm extremely proud of these guys."
The Blue Devils have had their share of close-game disappointments this season, including six one-goal losses. Perhaps, then, it was fitting for Duke's season to end in yet another nail-biter. This time, Duke exerted all of its energy, and just came up one play short.
"My four years here have been a great experience," Cila said. "I said to the guys at halftime, if we lose tonight I want my last game to be a loss where we fight and give everything we have and I think we did that."
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