Entering Saturday's game, West Virginia had played every match this season to a final score of 1-0. And the Mountaineers' contest in Koskinen Stadium against Duke was no different.
Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, they were on the wrong end of that 1-0 final score, allowing a goal in the 76th minute that let No. 13 West Virginia (4-1-0) walk away with its fourth consecutive victory. Fifth-ranked Duke (3-2-0) outshot the Mountaineers 15-9 but was unable to capitalize on numerous scoring opportunities.
"That's just the way our season's going right now," head coach John Rennie said. "We did what we wanted to do. We got really good chances, and right now the ball's not going in. It's really as simple as that."
Duke had several near-misses throughout the game. Paul Dudley popped a shot over an empty net in the 26th minute, and Pavelid Castaneda ripped one off the crossbar in the 44th minute. The Blue Devils had many more chances in the second half, from missed headers to a Mike Grella free kick that was right at Mountaineer goalie Zach Johnson.
Duke also failed to cash in on any of its nine corner kicks.
"It was one of those games that, yeah, you could say it's just not going in, like the game against Villanova," Grella said. "But it's also a little bit we could be sharper in front of the goal, maybe-get the forwards in the box, be sharper with the finishing."
The Blue Devils' inability to score against the Mountaineers eventually cost them. With less than 15 minutes left in the game, West Virginia's Mike Anoia had his shot deflected by Duke goalkeeper Justin Papadakis. The ball dribbled to the far right goalpost, where it was knocked in by Paul Paradise.
"It was just one of those weird balls that goes over everyone's head and you kind of sneak in behind and get a toe to," junior defender Graham Dugoni said. "You play all game and don't give up a chance, and you give up a half-chance and it costs you the game."
The goal was a disappointing finish to a contest in which Duke had been in control for much of play.
"It's a weak goal," Grella said. "It's just not acceptable."
As the Mountaineers stalled in an attempt to slow down the match, the Blue Devils frantically tried to score a late goal. Zach Pope fired a long shot just right with a minute and a half remaining, and a last-second header attempt landed on top of the net. With that, West Virginia celebrated its second road win over a ranked ACC team in eight days. The Mountaineers defeated then-No. 6 Maryland Sept. 7.
Senior Spencer Wadsworth played his first significant time of the season, logging 50 minutes of action in his return from offseason ankle surgery. Pope played 21 minutes as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
"They're not really game-ready yet," Rennie said. "But I thought Spencer did quite well tonight, and Zach, in his limited time, added a spark."
Senior co-captain, though, Tim Jepson remained sidelined with a hamstring injury. Jepson has not played this year but is getting closer to returning.
"We want to make sure that he's here for the main part of the season," Rennie said. "We get [him] back and it'll be a help to our defense. Right now we don't have a leader back there."
Jepson's absence has been noticeable, but the immediate concern for the Blue Devils appears to be their offense. Despite these concerns, Duke is confident it will find the back of the net again.
"We're going to keep on doing what we're doing and I think the results are going to take care of themselves," Dugoni said. "We'll just keep working hard."
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