Sophomores score three goals as Duke men's soccer outlasts Saint Mary’s 3-2

Another year older, another year wiser.

The strength of the Blue Devils’ sophomore class was on full display Friday, as Duke held on to defeat Saint Mary’s 3-2 at Koskinen Stadium in its season opener. The Blue Devils enjoyed a 24-10 advantage in shots taken, but struggled to convert on their scoring opportunities until sophomore defender Markus Fjørtoft sparked the offense with a header in the 43rd minute.

Sophomore Jeremy Ebobisse added a pair of goals early in the second half to propel Duke to a 3-0 lead midway through the period, but the Gaels would not go away quietly, recording two unanswered goals in the final 28 minutes. In the waning minutes, the Blue Devils clamped down on defense and prevented Saint Mary’s from scoring the equalizer to secure their first win of the season.

“Overall—for the first game of the year—I’m pleased with the performance,” Duke head coach John Kerr said. “I’m disappointed that we gave up two soft goals at the end, but there’s some really good signs out there, and that’s exciting for Duke soccer.”

Friday's contest provided the best look yet at the offseason development of Duke’s sophomore class, which has gone through nearly half a year of training after the Blue Devils (1-0) missed out on an NCAA tournament berth in 2014.

The 11 second-year players on the roster combined for 13 shots, three goals and two assists against the Gaels (0-1), with eight different players contributing. Ebobisse led the way with six shots, four shots on goal and two scores. 

“[The sophomores] have come a long way,” Kerr said. “Everyone can see that their talent level is way up there. They’re maturing together and they understand what’s needed to be successful. That’s the big turning point.”

The sophomores’ impact on the field could be seen from the first minute to the 90th, but a telling moment of the group’s intangibles came late in the first half, when Fjørtoft registered the Blue Devils’ first goal of the season.

When the Asker, Norway, native scores a goal, he usually celebrates by performing a summersault and gesturing with his hands to mimic smoking pistols.  

“As a defender you don’t score much, so you have to make your mark,” Fjørtoft said. 

But when the sophomore knocked in Duke’s first goal of the season, he decided the moment called for something different—and, instead, ran toward his teammates on the sideline, arms outstretched, looking for someone to hug. He wound up in the center of a celebrating mob of blue and black jerseys.

“That’s who we are,” Fjørtoft said. “We’re a brotherhood and a family and that’s key.”

The sophomores might have made the biggest impact on the offensive side of the ball, but graduate student defender Tyler Hilliard deserves credit for the defensive play of the game.

With the score still tied 0-0, the Gaels set up for a corner kick and the ball arced into the goal box, connecting with Saint Mary’s senior Will Kendall’s head in what looked to be a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Blue Devil goalkeeper Wilson Fisher leapt to deflect it, but it was out of his reach and darted past him. But Hilliard squared up with the goal, threw all of his weight backwards and redirected the ball back out of the 18-yard box with a bicycle kick.

“When I’m on the field, everything is pretty much a blur,” Hilliard said. “Instinctively, I saw the ball going up and I made a play on the ball. Really it was instinct, definitely not something off the practice field.”

Although there were many positives to glean from Friday’s home opener, the final 28 minutes were also a sobering reminder of the importance of a disciplined defense. After allowing a conference-worst 34 goals last season, defense is a top priority for Duke this year. 

“Whenever you get a goal scored against you, it’s deflating, but unfortunately it does happen and we did not react to it well,” Kerr said. “We let them hang in there and that’s something that we have to work on going forward. You can’t let a team get back in the game.”

The Blue Devils will look to correct their mistakes Sunday at 2:30 p.m. when they return to Koskinen Stadium to take on DePaul in the final game of the John Rennie Nike Invitational.