Duke men's soccer struggles to find the net on the road against SMU

After hitting the road for their first away game of the season, the Blue Devils will be happy to return back home in search of better results.

Duke suffered its first loss of the season Friday night, falling 3-1 to Southern Methodist at Westcott Field in Dallas. After erupting for seven goals in the second half of their last game, the Blue Devils didn’t score until the 80th minute—and by that time it was too late to overcome a 3-0 deficit.

Duke (1-1-1) had plenty of chances to grab an early lead, but was unable to convert its chances into goals. The Blue Devils kept the ball in the attacking third—accumulating six corners in the opening half—yet had nothing to show for it.

The Mustangs (1-2-0) were eager to get on the scoreboard after being held scoreless in both of their first two matches. They broke the ice in the 35th minute, when sophomore Stanton Garcia rocketed a shot into the corner of the net for the first goal of his career. Freshman Colten Habecker—who was named the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year in 2013—tallied his first career goal a few minutes later, knocking in a rebound from a corner kick to give Southern Methodist a 2-0 advantage as the first half drew to a close.

Any thoughts Duke had of mounting a comeback took a major hit early in the second half. The Blue Devils committed a key foul in the 54th minute to give the Mustangs a penalty kick, which senior Andrew Morales—who started every game at Duke his freshman year before transferring—put past goalkeeper Joe Ohaus.

Morales’ goal put Southern Methodist up 3-0, a lead that would prove to be insurmountable despite the Blue Devils’ fierce efforts. By the time Duke scored on senior Nick Palodichuk’s goal in the 80th minute, it was too little, too late.

The Blue Devils will return home to Koskinen Stadium and take the field again Tuesday night, when they host Temple at 7 p.m.