Duke men's soccer fights to 1-1 draw against N.C. State

The Blue Devils have a fever: the only prescription? More overtimes.

Duke played its sixth overtime contest in 13 games Friday night at Koskinen Stadium against N.C. State, and the Blue Devils battled to their third consecutive draw in a 1-1 tie with the Wolfpack.

“It’s amazing how many games have gone into overtime—it’s a tough league this year,” head coach John Kerr said. “Every game means a lot. [There’s] plenty of soccer left, and we need to get some W’s.”

Junior midfielder and captain Sean Davis ended Duke’s scoreless streak that stretched back to Oct. 1 with a 30-yard curler off a free kick. Davis’ blast in the 73rd minute was the equalizer Duke needed and earned after playing with great energy in the second half.

Davis, who has started every game for Duke this season and is second in minutes among field players, played all 110 minutes in the midfield for the Blue Devils. The junior from Holmdel, N.J., frequently pressured the Wolfpack (4-3-4, 1-3-3) defense with bursting runs and looked to be in the market for a second goal numerous times in the overtime periods.

In the 106th minute, Davis had a shot that looked to have its sights set on the lower right corner blocked by the heel of striker Brody Huitema. A minute later, Davis uncorked a curling left-footed strike from the top of the 18-yard box that sailed just wide of the net.

“He was unbelievable again tonight. He’s working hard defensively and he’s taking the initiative going forward,” Kerr said. “We couldn’t be happier with him—he’s a great captain, a great kid, and he’s also a great student. We’re very pleased with his progress, and he’s a great guy to have on your team.”

On one frustrating play in the first half, Duke’s shutout streak came to an end when, ironically, a Blue Devil finally found the back of the net.

Duke had held opponents scoreless for more than 243 consecutive minutes before N.C. State punctured the defense in the 13th minute Friday. Travis Wannemuehler broke free on the right wing, and he sent a dangerous ball across the open Duke goal that was deflected in by center back Sebastian Ibeagha.

For a Blue Devils team that had controlled much of the opening stanza, it was an inauspicious break.

In an effort to generate more offense, head coach John Kerr deployed versatile sophomore Zach Mathers up top with Brody Huitema to start the game. Mathers didn’t disappoint, threatening in the attack and generating two quality looks from distance for the Blue Devils in the opening minutes. When Kerr utilized his first substitutes in the 24th minute, Mathers moved to center back alongside Ibeagha, where Mathers stayed for the remainder of the game.

The center back duo, along with goalkeeper Alex Long, who made four saves on the night, managed to put the clamps down on the North Carolina State offense. Duke outshot the Wolfpack 14-6 from the second half on. Davis led the barrage for the Blue Devils, firing six shots in all while thwarting a number of the opposition’s attacks.

“When I’m playing for this team, I’m just trying to give everything I can for these guys,” Davis said. “I’m just trying to do my job and do a little more and help the team as much as possible.”

After Davis leveled the score at 1-1, the Blue Devils had a fantastic chance to score when Huitema broke free in the 80th minute, firing a low strike that Wolfpack goalkeeper Fabian Otte just got enough of to push wide of the left post. The Duke faithful, much like Huitema, had their heads in their hands as they thought it was a sure goal.

Despite the team maintaining its undefeated 1-0-5 record in overtime this season, Kerr couldn’t help but feel a little unfulfilled from the squad’s inability to produce the golden goal.

“We’re a resilient bunch, and we work hard for each other,” Kerr said. “I just want them to get their just desserts from all their good play when they’re going forward.”