A season that began with such high expectations ended in disappointment Friday, as head coach John Rennie and 13 seniors finished their careers with a 1-0 loss to Louisville (11-6-4) in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The match, which was played in near-freezing temperatures at Cardinal Park in Louisville, Ky., marked the end of an era for both the players and their coach.
"It's not so much the loss but the fact that my entire career here at Duke has come to an end," senior defender and captain Tim Jepson said. "It's humbling. It's real humbling."
The only goal of the game came in the 28th minute, when the Cardinals' Marco Terminesi fed forward Frank Jonke through the middle of the defense. Jonke beat goalkeeper Brendan Fitzgerald from 20 yards out, and the Blue Devils (11-8-6) could not even the score despite attacking the Louisville goal throughout the second half.
The contest with Louisville was reminiscent of many of Duke's other losses this season. All year, the team had consistently outshot its opponent and controlled possession, but giving up soft goals and an inability to play from behind doomed the Blue Devils in close matches.
Friday's matchup was no different. Duke outshot the Cardinals in both halves and finished the game with a 14-12 advantage, but simply could not capitalize on the few opportunities it created.
"This game is about finishing chances, and we certainly had our chances tonight and didn't finish them," Rennie said.
Both teams opened the game cautiously, but Duke was forced to play more aggressively after allowing Jonke's goal. The Blue Devils, however, recorded just one shot on goal in the half-a header by freshman Cole Grossman that was cleared off the goal line by a Louisville defender.
Unfortunately for Duke, the second half played out in much the same way. The team struck three shots on goal, but the Cardinals defense held on to advance.
With the loss, Rennie ended a career that spanned 35 years, 29 of them in Durham. In that time, Rennie led the Blue Devils to their only national championship in 1986 and five ACC titles.
"It's an honor to coach against [Rennie] at any point, but this one is bittersweet," said Louisville head coach Ken Lolla, who played at Duke between 1980 and 1983. "I have such great respect for John and what he's done not just as a coach, but what he's done in my life."
In addition to Rennie's retirement, the team's first-round exit also marked the end of a successful four years for the Blue Devils' seniors, who won consecutive ACC titles in 2005 and 2006 and compiled a 59-23-5 record.
"I've been around these guys every day for the past four years, and you build such a brotherhood and in terms of soccer, that's gone," Jepson said. "Just thinking about that is the hardest thing right now."
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