With 20 minutes left in a 1-0 game against North Carolina Friday night, Duke was one man down on the field.
After Blue Devil defenseman Graham Dugoni was ejected for a red card, the team needed a boost. Duke got it from a record crowd that seemed to become the 11th man on the field at Koskinen Stadium.
With 6,549 screaming fans behind it, the fifth-ranked Blue Devils (12-2-1, 5-1-1 in the ACC) held off the No. 21 Tar Heels to preserve their third-straight shutout of their in-state rivals and to remain in first place in the ACC.
It was the seventh consecutive match between the two teams to be decided by either a single goal or a tie.
"The crowd was a tremendous help with that extra adrenaline rush that we needed at the end to finish out the game," head coach John Rennie said.
On senior night at Koskinen Stadium, Duke was lifted by stellar performances from the entire team-and a little help from the opposition.
In an attempt to clear junior Zach Pope's cross in the ninth minute, North Carolina defenseman Ted Odgers instead banged the ball into the back of his own net for the only goal of the contest.
"It was a gift," Pope said. "Of course, I meant it to hit it off that guy and go back post. Of course I meant to do that."
From that point on, the Blue Devils' defense proved itself as one of the nation's best, stifling the Tar Heels to preserve the lead.
"From the beginning of the game, our plan was to get them on one side and keep them on that side," senior captain Chris Loftus said. "That way, they couldn't keep swinging the ball east to west. Second half, we sat one of our forwards back in a little bit-we had the 1-0 lead-so we protected."
That job became tougher in the 70th minute with Dugoni's ejection. With a little help from two defensive substitutions and the standing-room-only crowd, Duke limited the Tar Heels' chances-holding them to six shots in the entire second period.
"As the game went on we defended better and better," Rennie said. "They got some pressure early, and we made a few adjustments. By the end of the game, all they could get were long tosses. We were content there-pretty much the whole second half-to defend that lead, play with one up top, and see what they could do."
Two of the Tar Heels' best chances came in those final 20 minutes-one when they couldn't take advantage of a bad Duke clear, and a second when a Gary Lewis shot bounced wide right.
When the 6-foot-5 Loftus, however, headed out a final UNC push with less than 10 seconds to play, it was time to celebrate. The Blue Devils rushed the field and stayed late to rejoice with the crowd.
"It's something you dream about-coming out and beating UNC on senior night," Loftus said. "You couldn't ask for anything better."
Junior goalkeeper Justin Papadakis recorded four saves in his fourth shutout of the season. He has now played 310 minutes in three games against North Carolina without surrendering a goal.
"Usually, it's the back four players that play excellent. Tonight, the whole team played excellent," Papadakis said. "Everyone came off the bench and contributed. The most important factor was the crowd. We have the best fans in the world, and they gave us the edge tonight."
Loftus was quick to put the win in perspective, knowing the Blue Devils still need one more ACC win or a Virginia tie or loss to clinch the ACC regular-season title.
"The season's not over yet," he said. "We still got to focus on the next game-that's where our minds are.We'll enjoy this for a little bit, stay atop the ACC, but still think about the next game"
But even Rennie could be seen with a broad smile on his face, taking in the satisfying scene.
"Beating your archrival at home on senior night, it can't get any better," Rennie said.
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