CARY - In what the announcer called "the first course of a four-course soccer feast" over the loudspeaker at the SAS complex in Cary, N.C., fifth-seeded Duke men's soccer took on fourth-seeded Virginia Tech Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship.
In the teams' first matchup Sept. 20, the Blue Devils tied the Hokies (10-5-4), 2-2, in a tightly contested game-and through 43 minutes it seemed like Wednesday's game might be headed the same direction.
But with less than two minutes left in the half, Duke (10-4-2) took the lead and never looked back on its way to a 2-0 victory, the first ACC Championship game the team has won since 2000.
"A shutout and first-round win is huge for our confidence," Duke head coach John Rennie said.
Sophomore Tomek Charowski floated the ball into the box to junior Chris Loftus. He headed it cleanly, popping it up in front of junior Chase Perfect, who finished with a diving header past the fingers of leaping Hokie goaltender, Chase Harrison-the goal marked Perfect's first of the season.
And that goal was all the Blue Devils would need. Although Duke's defense had a few close calls, key saves by goalie Justin Papadakis and strong play by defenders Darrius Barnes and Tim Jepson kept the Hokies scoreless.
"We did a tremendous defensive job on our part stopping their offense which has been so productive this year," Rennie said.
With the game still scoreless and only 6:30 left before the half, Virginia Tech had its best scoring chances of the game. The Hokies had three consecutive free kicks from just outside Duke's box.
Jepson received a yellow card in the 38th minute, but the Hokies' subsequent free kick soared high. Just a minute and a half later, Perfect and Virginia Tech's Eric Vickers got tangled up in front of the goal, resulting in a call against Perfect and another kick for the Hokies. But Virginia Tech struggled to convert the opportunity, passing the ball several times before Duke's defenders broke up the play.
Soon after, Barnes was issued a yellow card, giving the Hokies yet another free kick, but Duke was able to clear it, ending Virginia Tech's flurry of shots.
With less than a minute left in the game, it appeared the game would end in a 1-0 win for Duke. But in a desperate attempt to tie the game, the Hokies pulled Harrison all the way up to midfield. With the ball at his feet, the goalie faltered and opened up the field for Duke sophomore Zach Pope.
Successfully tackling Harrison and gaining possession of the ball with a mere six seconds left, he lined the ball down the empty field into the open goal as the clock ticked down to 1.3 seconds, giving Duke a 2-0 win.
This victory was especially rewarding for the seniors, as it was their first ACC Championship win in four years as Blue Devils.
"The ACC is the strongest it has been since I've been here, and it's ironic that this is the first win my class has gotten in the ACC tournament since I've been here, so it feels doubly good," senior Blake Camp said.
Rennie agreed with Camp regarding the strength of the ACC and insisted that eight of the nine teams in the league will make the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils will face first-seeded Maryland Friday in the semifinals. This game, however, could be more challenging, considering Duke lost, 3-1, to the No. 1 Terrapins Oct. 7.
"It's very hard to play on one day's rest," Rennie said. "But we live to fight another day."
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