Playing a winless out-of-conference opponent was not supposed to be intense for the Blue Devils. But after the Blue Hose took an early 1-0 lead, it quickly became that way.
Duke fought back from its early deficit, though, to defeat Presbyterian 4-1 at Koskinen Stadium. With the win—the team’s fourth-straight victory—the Blue Devils (5-4) move above .500 for the first time this season.
Duke played with a starting lineup that did not include James Belshaw or Sebastien Ibeagha. Belshaw was given the rest in order to give fellow captain Jan Trnka-Amrhein a chance in net, while Ibeagha already has four yellow cards on the year, and head coach John Kerr wanted to make sure he was available for Friday’s game against North Carolina.
Duke controlled possession from the start, though both teams struggled early to put together good scoring opportunities. The game’s first shot was not registered until more than 10 minutes into play, when Andrew Wenger received a ball on the ground that put him in the clear on the left edge of the 18-yard box, only to have his attempt saved by Blue Hose goalkeeper Ethan Watson.
Although the Blue Devils continued to register strong opportunities, junior Byron Quinatoa put the game’s first goal away for Presbyterian (0-8). Quinatoa fired a ball through the middle from just outside the 18-yard box in what appeared to be a pass attempt. Both the Duke defenders and the Blue Hose attackers whiffed on going for the ball, however, leaving Trnka-Amrhein out of position and unable to bat it away.
“Tuesday night games are always challenging for us,” Kerr said. “We were sloppy tonight, and not as sharp as we normally are. We made life difficult for ourselves.”
Wenger finally converted on one of his many chances, putting away his 11th goal of the season with 12:10 left in the period. Chris Tweed-Kent set it up, poking in a lead pass that cleared the Presbyterian defense, giving Wenger a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper.
With the game knotted at one, the Blue Devils kept the ball in Blue Hose territory and quickly put the game under wraps in the second half thanks to their freshmen. Nick Palodichuk gave Duke a 2-1 lead with 33:35 remaining in the game, knocking the ball home after it had been batted by many players from both teams in front of the goal. Nat Eggleston slammed home his first career goal 20 minutes later, and Palodichuk sealed the deal with his second goal of the game—and fifth of the season—in the 86th minute.
“We should have all put more away,” Palodichuk said, “but I guess two is alright.”
Controversy emerged in the middle of the second half, when Tweed-Kent put home what appeared to be the third Duke goal. Wenger led the charge downfield for Duke, trying to sneak a pass to Tweed-Kent as the goalkeeper slid out for the ball. In his attempt to grab it, Watson ran into Wenger’s legs, injuring his rib. After a long delay, a foul was called on Wenger by the linesman, who observed the play from near midfield, drawing in irate reaction from Kerr.
Duke finished the game with dominant offensive statistics, outshooting the Blue Hose 24-6, and notching 13 corner kicks compared to Presbyterian’s one. But to come out victorious against a stronger opponent such as North Carolina on Friday, it knows it will have to convert with fewer opportunities.
“I missed a ton of chances and we all missed a ton of chances,” Palodichuk said.
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