The inconsistency away from the friendly confines of Koskinen Stadium reared its ugly head again Tuesday night, making the Blue Devils' celebration of Friday's victory against then-No. 1 North Carolina seem like a distant memory.
Duke fell 2-1 to UNC Wilmington Tuesday night at UNCW Soccer Stadium in Wilmington, N.C., suffering its third straight 2-1 loss in the series with the Seahawks after another slow start that allowed UNC Wilmington to outshoot the Blue Devils 9-2 in the first half. Although Duke mounted another furious comeback in the second half, it was once again doomed by a slow start on the road for the third time this season.
"We're trying to address it, but we struggled in the beginning again and we've got to do better in that regard," head coach John Kerr said. "This is a game of 90 minutes and we've got to be more ready."
The Seahawks (6-1-1) grabbed the momentum right after the match started when top goal-scorer Jamie Dell fired a shot that hit the post; from that moment on, Duke (3-3-1) was on its heels in the opening stages of the match and missing the aggressiveness that had it averaging 2.5 goals per contest entering the match.
Blue Devil captain Sean Davis nearly scored early in the game on a 20-yard free kick and top goal-scorer Cameron Moseley generated a shot of his own in the 10th minute, but the team was held without a shot during the rest of the half. Moseley did not play in the second half due to illness.
After UNC Wilmington forward Colin Bonner rocketed another shot off the post in the 20th minute, the Seahawks finally struck when first-team All-CAA defender Jacob VanCompernolle put a well-placed header past Blue Devil freshman goalie Joe Ohaus in the 38th minute. UNC Wilmington carried the 1-0 lead into the locker room.
"[There was] a lack of intensity, and they're pretty good," Kerr said. "They're a senior-laden team and very well organized. They were up for it and we weren't ready in the first half."
Despite the poor performance early in the match, Duke didn't panic due to its impressive 12-3 scoring margin in the second half this year.
"We lifted the intensity," Kerr said. "We said 'The first half wasn't good enough, the attitude has to change and we have to not play so tentative.'"
Davis and sophomore forward Brody Huitema helped the Blue Devils change the momentum of the game, generating seven shot attempts together in the second half. Midfielders Nick Palodichuk and Bryson Asher also drove Duke's offense with their energy going forward that created several opportunities in the attacking third.
The Blue Devils finally netted the equalizer when defender Nat Eggleston scored his first goal of the season by knocking a header past Seahawk goalie Sean Melvin off a Davis corner in the 69th minute.
"We caused so many problems and should have had a couple of more goals before we got our first goal," Kerr said.
Just as he did against the Tar Heels Friday night, Davis had a chance to make a game-changing play in the 75th minute when he was awarded a penalty kick after a foul occurred in the box.
But Melvin—who anchors a UNC Wilmington defense that allows less than one goal per game—stood tall, deflecting Davis' effort to keep the score tied.
"The unfortunate thing is the referee missed the call because [Melvin] moved on the play early," Kerr said. "He moved forward three steps and made the save. It should have been retaken, but that's the way it goes."
The Blue Devils had another close call a minute later when a goal was disallowed due to a Duke penalty in the box.
As is often the case, the Blue Devils' furious rally left them gassed near the end of the game, resulting in a defensive miscue that cost them the game.
In the 79th minute, VanCompernolle was left all alone on the left side of the box after a failed clear and took advantage, firing a low shot past Ohaus for the go-ahead score.
"We kind of half-cleared up in the air and there was a lot of indecision about getting the second ball, and it fell [right] to [VanCompernolle]," Kerr said.
Duke recorded five shots and a corner kick in its attempt to send the game into overtime and replicate some of Friday's magic, but UNC Wilmington held its ground to continue its recent dominance of the Blue Devils.
Duke will look to bounce back from a physical contest that featured 39 fouls Friday against Boston College. Although the Blue Devils play their next two contests at home, they will have to reverse an alarming trend. Duke has been outscored 11-3 in first halves this season.
"We have to come to grips to where we are and another opportunity," Kerr said. "We've got to make sure we're fired up and ready to go from the outset and not wait until the second half."
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