With its back against the wall in the ACC standings and only two games remaining to earn points, Duke’s task was simple Saturday night: beat a winless, mathematically-eliminated Pittsburgh squad.
And despite settling for ties often this season, the Blue Devils made no mistake against the conference doormat, scoring early and often in the first half to bury the Panthers 3-0 at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
“We took it into our own hands,” head coach John Kerr said. “We needed to win for us, for our placement in the ACC standings and our placement for an at-large bid for the NCAAs. Anything can happen—soccer’s a funny game, so we were definitely on our toes and took it to them right from the beginning.”
The Blue Devils (7-4-6, 2-3-5 in the ACC) started the evening in 10th place in the conference, only ahead of Virginia Tech and winless Pittsburgh (0-10-4, 0-8-2). With the win and Boston College’s 3-1 victory against Virginia Tech Sunday, Duke crept up to eighth place. As a result, the Blue Devils control their destiny and can earn one of eight ACC tournament berths with a win in their final matchup Friday at Clemson.
Duke seized control of Saturday’s game from the get-go. Just three minutes in, Nick Palodichuk’s corner found senior defender Sebastian Ibeagha, whose header clanged against the post and bounded away from the net.
Despite surviving Duke’s initial barrage of four shots and three corner kicks in the first 10 minutes, Pittsburgh's luck did not last.
In the 17th minute, the Blue Devils earned a penalty off a Pittsburgh handball. Captain Sean Davis stepped up and coolly deposited the ball for his sixth goal of the season and a 1-0 lead, and with that, Duke wouldn’t look back.
Six minutes later, Palodichuk took center stage, sliding the ball to the near post past Pittsburgh keeper Dan Lynd to double Duke's advantage.
“The first 15 minutes we pounded them,” Kerr said. “We were knocking on the door, and it was nice to get the first goal and really nice then to get that second goal.”
In the 29th minute, Tyler McDaniel joined the offensive barrage, taking the feed on the wing from Palodichuk and blasting his shot into the top corner past the keeper for a 3-0 lead. The goal was McDaniel’s first of the season.
“Tyler’s had a couple chances early on in our season, and it was nice for him to get a goal to solidify all the good work he’s done over the course of the last four or five weeks,” Kerr said.
During its dominant first half, Duke outshot Pitt 12-1, earned eight corners and a slew of compliments from the team's head coach.
“I’m just pleased with the performance and the attitude and the approach,” Kerr said. “It’s nice to convert our chances. We’ve played very well early on in the season and just haven’t converted, so it’s nice to get a couple goals early and make sure the result went our way.”
Goalkeepers Alex Long and Alex Merrill combined to make four saves on seven shots. The shutout was Duke’s seventh of the season.
Playing with a commanding early lead, Kerr was able to go deep into his bench and rest many of his key starters, including striker Brody Huitema and versatile center back Zach Mathers. Twenty-four Blue Devils saw the pitch Saturday.
“We got some goals early and rested some guys, and we gave some opportunities to some players who haven’t played as much,” Kerr said. “It was a really good night for us all around.”
It was the seventh straight game in which the Panthers failed to score a goal. The 3-0 defeat was Pittsburgh’s biggest home loss of the season.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Duke maintains its unbeaten streak that stretches back to Oct. 1. The Blue Devils’ first half output matches their first half total from the previous 16 matches combined.
With the victory firmly in hand, the eyes of the Duke faithful now turn to the regular season finale, where one more victory will ensure the season continues.
“We’ve got it all to play for,” Kerr said. “It’s not going to be easy.”
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