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Duke men's soccer earns draw with No. 5 Virginia

<p>Sophomore Jeremy Ebobisse added another tally to his impressive start to the season, scoring in the second half to even the score and force Duke and Virginia into extra time.</p>

Sophomore Jeremy Ebobisse added another tally to his impressive start to the season, scoring in the second half to even the score and force Duke and Virginia into extra time.

Playing its most challenging game so far this year, Duke did not disappoint.

In an entertaining back-and-forth affair, the Blue Devils tied No. 5 Virginia 2-2 Friday night at Koskinen Stadium in their first ACC game of the season. After going ahead in the first half, a brief but punishing flurry by the Cavaliers gave Virginia a 2-1 lead before Duke was able to level the score. Although the game ended in a tie, the Blue Devils outplayed the defending national champions and showed the strides they have made from last season's disappointing 9-9-1 campaign.

“It was our biggest test of the year so far,” sophomore forward Jeremy Ebobisse said. “We wanted to go out and impose ourselves since it’s our ACC opener and we went up and were playing well, but in the second half we just had a little lapse. It hurt us, but we showed some resilience and stayed together and were able to get one back.”

The Blue Devils (4-0-1, 0-0-1 in the ACC) started the game brightly, looking dangerous on three early corner kicks and holding Virginia (2-0-2, 0-0-1) without a shot for the first 18 minutes. Duke found its breakthrough on its fourth corner, as senior Ryan Thompson sent a cross to the back post, where sophomore defender Markus Fjørtoft rose to meet it and send it into the back of the net to give the Blue Devils an unexpected early lead.

The Cavaliers got their first real opportunity of the game in the 30th minute when Jake Rozhansky forced Duke goalkeeper Wilson Fisher into a save that deflected off the cross bar and straight into the path of Virginia forward Nicko Corriveau. Corriveau looked destined to put the ball in the back of the net, but defender Carter Manley made a heroic block on the line to preserve the Blue Devil lead.

The Cavaliers kept their foot on the gas for the remainder of the first half, but were unable to level the score, due in large part to Fisher, who made a second impressive save with a few minutes left before intermission. But Virginia did not have to wait much longer to score.

Less than 60 seconds later, the lead Duke had worked so hard to get in the first half vanished. Fisher mishandled a low cross, knocking the ball into the path of Pablo Aguilar, who fired home into the open net.

After the goal, the Blue Devils seemed rattled and the Cavaliers took advantage. Virginia dominated the ball, and seven minutes later some intricate play between Todd Wharton and Corriveau gave Rozhansky room for a shot at the top of the box, which he knocked home just passed the outstretched arm of Fisher.

Virginia continued to threaten after the goal until Duke made a lineup change, bringing on an extra midfielder in Cody Brinkman in place of Thompson and moving senior Zach Mathers into a more advanced position.

“They were getting a hold of the game early in the second half,” Duke head coach John Kerr said. “They dropped Aguilar a little bit deep and it forced us to either make a decision to come with him or leave him and we got out of shape late in the first half when we went with him so they capitalized on that, so we made a tactical switch.”

The decision paid big dividends, as the Blue Devils regained control of the midfield and soon got themselves back in the game.

After a Mathers free kick was deflected out for a corner, graduate student Jared Rist hit the crossbar and the ball fell to Ebobisse, who connected with a scissor kick on a half-volley and sent the ball into the top corner to even the score.

“It was pretty impulsive," Ebobisse said. “I made my run to the back post, the ball ended up getting cleared and I knew that if I lost the ball they’d be on a fast break, so I really had no option but to shoot it and I was grateful and lucky that it was so clean and upper-90.”

Duke looked the stronger side for the remainder of regulation and had several opportunities to take the lead, but could not beat Cavalier goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell again. Ebobisse appeared to score the Blue Devils’ third goal, but his blistering shot from outside the box was denied. He and Mathers had two other clear opportunities in the box, but could not deliver the upset-clinching shot.

With neither team able to break the deadlock during the 90 minutes, the game headed to overtime. Both sides looked tired during the extra sessions and were unable to mount any significant opportunities in front of the goal.

Duke will take a draw against the defending national champions, but it could have been much more. Excluding Virginia’s brief attacking frenzy late in the first half and early in the second, the Blue Devils had the more clear-cut opportunities to take the lead.

"We’re disappointed that we didn’t capitalize on this massive crowd and great atmosphere and the progress of our team,” Kerr said. “But ]I’m] also pleased that we didn’t lose the game and that’s important as we go down the stretch.”

Duke hosts UNC Wilmington Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the final game of its five-game homestand.

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