Duke proved Saturday that it knows how to give a good birthday present.
It remains to be seen whether the Blue Devils can deliver on an even better retirement gift.
No. 12 Duke (5-2-0, 1-0-0 in the ACC) defeated Maryland on head coach John Rennie's birthday, winning 2-1 in double overtime in front of 5,013 fans in Koskinen Stadium.
Freshman midfielder Cole Grossman, playing in his first match of the season, scored the game-winner on a feed from Joe Germanese with 1:33 remaining in the extra session to seal the game for the Blue Devils.
Senior captains Michael Videira and Tim Jepson sat out against the No. 16 Terrapins (3-3-1, 0-2-0) with hamstring injuries, but Duke did not miss a beat. In addition to Grossman, who played 53 minutes, the Blue Devils got increased playing time from seniors Spencer Wadsworth and Zach Pope.
"To win a game like that without your two captains, I mean, it's just incredible," Rennie said. "It was just a great effort by some guys who haven't played very much."
The hero was Grossman, who has been out since the first preseason game with a pulled groin. Before the contest, the freshman told Rennie he was ready to make his collegiate debut and he backed it up with his play during regulation, prompting the coach to send him onto the field in overtime.
With Duke less than two minutes away from a tie, Germanese-who, like Grossman, went to St. Louis University High School-passed it to the freshman midfielder on the right side of the box, 10 yards from the goal. Grossman ripped it into the top of the net, giving the Blue Devils a victory in their first conference game of the season.
"I don't really know what happened, I just hit it as hard as I could," the six-foot, 165-pound Grossman said. "I tried to take my shirt off [after the goal] but it was stuck on my body, so I couldn't really get it off. But I guess it's probably a good thing it didn't come off because I'm not the strongest kid on earth."
After a scoreless first half, junior defender Graham Dugoni scored the Blue Devils' first goal in the 56th minute, ripping the ball into the right corner of the net from five yards out.
The Terrapins responded less than eight minutes later. After Duke goalkeeper Justin Papadakis made a diving save on a Stephen King shot, Drew Yates picked up the rebound and fired the ball into the empty net to even the score.
Each team had several scoring opportunities the rest of the way-the best perhaps being Paul Dudley's chance at an open net with 41 seconds left in regulation-but the game remained tied at one until Grossman's heroics in the second overtime.
"I blacked out when I saw the ball hit the back of the net-I went crazy," Pope said. "It was unbelievable, especially for a freshman coming in making an appearance in a really big game like Maryland. He showed a lot of class [and] a lot of maturity."
Grossman replaced Videira, who warmed up but was still bothered by a hamstring cramp he suffered in last Wednesday's game against South Carolina.
"He's kind of irreplaceable-one of the best players in the country," Grossman said of Videira. "I just tried to come in and do the best I could. Obviously, you can't replace him fully-or even close-but I just tried to do what he does and control the game and help the team."
With their two senior leaders out, the Blue Devils' depth was key in their 109-minute clash against the Terrapins.
"It's critical in any game," Rennie said of having bench players who contribute. "The season is both a marathon and a sprint."
At the end of that marathon, Duke hopes to give its coach a retirement present even better than the birthday gift it gave him Saturday-a national title.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.