Last Friday Duke’s student body welcomed their fall break, but it was business as usual for the Blue Devils on the soccer field.
Duke manhandled N.C. State 4-2 at Koskinen Stadium in a match that was not as closely contested as the final score indicates. With the victory, No. 22 Duke (7-4-1, 3-1-1 in the ACC) extends its unbeaten streak to seven games, jumping back into the NSCAA coaches’ poll for the first time since Aug. 30.
It also marks the first victory for the Blue Devils over the Wolfpack (4-6-2, 1-3-0) under the leadership of head coach John Kerr.
“It was a great win, but we are still evolving as a team,” Kerr said. “We’re really hitting our stride.”
After surrendering an early goal to N.C. State’s Nazmi Albadawi in the fourth minute, Duke quickly seized back momentum by controlling the tempo and winning possession battles in the midfield. One of the keys to this shift was the play of Riley Wolfe. The freshman, who saw limited playing time as a midfielder early in the season, made his fourth consecutive start as a defender and made crucial contributions on both offense and defense.
“It’s a little bit new to me. The coaches and older players have taught me so much,” Wolfe said.
A long cross from Wolfe found the foot of striker Andrew Wenger in the 13th minute, who blasted a shot from 15 yards out off the crossbar and into the goal to tie the game.
“[Our freshmen] have been fantastic players from day one. They’ve gotten used to the speed of play and the physicality of it,” Wenger said.
The Blue Devils added two more goals before halftime, one from senior Chris Tweed-Kent and Wenger’s second score of the game, to increase their cushion to 3-1. Wenger later added his third goal in the 56th minute, giving him his second hat trick of the season.
Duke maintained control of the action for the remainder of the game, only faltering when a defender committed a foul in the Blue Devils’ 18-yard box with 12 seconds remaining in the game. N.C. State’s Albadawi stepped up to the penalty spot and beat goalkeeper James Belshaw for his second goal of the contest.
Wenger’s hat trick increased his season total to a nation-leading 15 goals. He also leads the country with 37 points—his nearest competitor has a mere 28. Wenger’s performance earned him ACC player of the week honors for the third time this season, as well as the College Soccer News national player of the week award.
“He gives us such a weapon up front,” Kerr said. “He’s always liable to create something on his own or he can build up play. It’s really difficult to defend him.”
With the win, Duke moves into a tie with No. 2 North Carolina for first place in the ACC, one point ahead of No. 3 Maryland and No. 25 Virginia.
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