Two goals in two consecutive second-half minutes sealed a 4-1 victory for No. 5 Duke Tuesday night against Alabama A&M at a rainy Koskinen Stadium.
Up 2-1 at halftime after goals from junior Tomek Charowski and sophomore Pavelid Castaneda, the Blue Devils (11-2-1) came out of the locker room on fire and clinched the game. Long-distance goals by Spencer Wadsworth and Mike Grella put Duke in a confident mood, with its showdown against North Carolina coming up Friday.
The Bulldogs (5-8-1)-whose 19-man roster boasts 13 international players from Africa and the Caribbean-came into the game playing their best soccer of the season. Alabama A&M won the Bradley Tournament in Peoria, Ill., at the end of September.
"They are a good team," Duke head coach John Rennie said. "They had four wins and a tie in their last six games, and they won a tournament the weekend before last. The coaches we talked to in the Midwest said they deserved to win it, too."
The Bulldogs gave the Blue Devils a serious challenge late in the first half when Cornell Castle struck the crossbar on a shot that would have knotted the score at two. But just seven minutes into the second half, Wadsworth received a pass from Grella, turned and drilled a low shot into the far left corner from 20 yards out.
Grella scored one of the most impressive goals of the season for Duke in front of only a handful of fans when he took possession of the ball on the left wing, dribbled past one defender and struck a curling shot that landed just inside the far right post.
The Blue Devils controlled most of the possession early in the game and broke through with their first goal in the 21st minute after an impressive dribbling display from Charowski. The Bulldogs, however, responded immediately when MfaniFuthi Bhembe took a 20-yard shot that rolled through Duke goalkeeper Justin Papadakis's legs.
Castaneda, though, gave the Blue Devils the lead for good in the 23rd minute after picking up a poor clearance and striking a left-footed shot from 20 yards out.
"I had some chances this year and I was unfortunate on a few, but I'm glad I was able to put that one in," Castaneda said.
The goal was the sophomore's first of the season-Castaneda is better known for his dominating midfield play than for his attacking flair.
Even slippery field conditions could not stop Duke. The constant rain in Durham Tuesday turned into a downpour around game time, and never once let up.
"It's always hard," Castaneda said about playing on a slick surface. "Some of the guys prefer to play in the rain because it's not as hot, but it's very tricky."
The second half also gave many players who do not normally get much playing time a chance to get on the field. At the final whistle, sophomore Graham Dugoni was the only starter left on the field other than Papadakis.
"It's nice to get a whole game under your belt, because you always wonder about your fitness," Dugoni said. "Once we got some different players on the field the level of play didn't drop at all."
Alabama A&M played an intense, physical game, but the young Blue Devils were not rattled.
"Every game-not just ACC games-is going to be be a battle, so the first thing you have to do is come out and be physical and then you can play soccer," Dugoni said.
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