The No. 9 Blue Devils got their heads in the game Wednesday, scoring two header goals to defeat N.C. State, 2-1, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championships in Germantown, Md.
Duke (14-3-1) notched its first goal just under 22 minutes into the contest. Sophomore Mike Grella passed the ball back to Darrius Barnes along the right sideline, and the defender crossed the ball into the box, where senior captain Chris Loftus connected with a header into the lower left side of the net.
"It was a great ball by Darrius," Loftus said. "He served a perfect ball. It went right over the guy's head who was guarding me, and I was just able to hit it near post past the goalie."
The Blue Devils battled a competitive Wolfpack (6-10-1) squad that was in a win-at-all-costs mentality, since a loss would eliminate the team not only from the tournament but also from a chance at an NCAA bid.
"They had to win this," Duke head coach John Rennie said. "They really put everything into to it. To win a game like that is always very, very hard."
Duke controlled the first half, outshooting N.C. State, 11-5, and tallying five corner kicks to the Wolfpack's zero.
The second half started with a slip-up by the Blue Devils, however, when N.C. State's El-Hadj Cisse pounced on a scoring opportunity just 12 seconds into the period. The junior forward received a pass in the box and went one-on-one with goalie Justin Papadakis, ripping a shot to the left side of the net past the keeper to even the score.
"We just were not ready on the kickoff," Rennie said. "We were not ready and made a couple of mistakes, and they took advantage of it."
With 31 minutes of play remaining, Duke regained the lead on yet another header, this time from junior Michael Videira. The midfielder scored his goal off one of his six shots of the game.
"We played a short corner, Spencer [Wadsworth] to Kyle Helton," Videira said. "He put it right in the box between me and Graham Dugoni. He was right behind me, and he let it go to me."
Videira's sixth goal of the season, off the cross from Helton in the left corner, gave the Blue Devils a lead they maintained the rest of the contest. Both Helton and Wadsworth were credited with assists, giving Wadsworth his ACC-leading 12th of the season.
"We weren't exactly happy with how we played, but we got a win and that's what's important," Loftus said. "There were times when we looked good where we were swinging the ball quickly from our left back to our right back, letting the ball do the work rather than us. That game's over with, and now we're moving on to Friday's game."
The Blue Devils will now face fourth-seeded Maryland Friday at 8 p.m. The teams met previously this year, resulting in a 1-0 victory for the Terrapins.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.