Ebobisse back on track as Duke men's soccer wins third straight at Pittsburgh

Jeremy Ebobisse started the season on fire. Then he went cold.

But the sophomore showed Saturday that he may be showing signs of heating up again, a dangerous sign for a Blue Devil squad that is now the owner of a three-match winning streak.

Thanks to a first-half goal from Ebobisse, Duke defeated Pittsburgh 1-0 at Ambrose Urbanic Field Saturday evening in Pittsburgh. The win against the Panthers was the Blue Devils’ first victory away from Koskinen Stadium this season and assured them of a spot in the ACC tournament.

Ebobisse netted the winning goal—his sixth score of the season and first since Sept. 11—in the 25th minute, finishing an assist from senior midfielder Zach Mathers from the left side of the 18-yard area.

Duke (8-6-2, 2-4-1 in the ACC) entered Tuesday’s contest averaging 2.1 goals and 15.3 shots per game and manufactured a few goal chances before Ebobisse’s strike. Sophomore midfielder Brian White had the first opportunity to break the scoreless draw in the 11th minute, but a Panther defender turned away his shot.

In the 15th minute, the Blue Devils put their second attempt on frame but Pittsburgh goalkeeper Dan Lynd turned Mathers’ shot away. Just seconds later, sophomore defender Markus Fjørtoft connected on a header from inside the box, but the ball flew above the crossbar.

Ebobisse snapped a 10-game scoreless drought in the 25th minute, notching the lone goal head coach John Kerr’s squad needed to capture its second conference win. But the Blue Devils were not content with one goal and stayed on the attack looking for a second.

Two minutes after Ebobisse’s goal, Lynd registered his second save of the evening, blocking a header from junior forward Brody Huitema. In the 28th minute, freshman midfielder Ciaran McKenna powered a shot that went wide and seven minutes later, Ebobisse could have put Duke ahead 2-0 but his shot was blocked by the Panther defense.

Pittsburgh (5-8-3, 0-6-1) entered Saturday's match averaging only 1.0 goals per match and continued struggling offensively against Duke goalkeeper Mitch Kupstas and company. The Panthers did not manage to put a shot on frame in the first half as the Blue Devil defense employed the offside trap efficiently to clinch their first ACC shutout and only allowed one first-half shot—a header from Tobias Heyman that missed the target in the 37th minute.

The second half offered more of the same. The Blue Devils missed eight opportunities to extend their lead—outshooting Pittsburgh 15-2 for the night—and the Panthers could not create a quality attempt to tie the game.

In the 53th minute, Raj Kahlon racked up a shot that Kupstas blocked. That was the closest Pittsburgh got to finding the equalizer.

Five Blue Devils—Mathers, White, Huitema, McKeena and sophomore midfielder Bryson Asher—tried to seal Duke’s victory in the closing period but their shots missed the target. In the 70th minute, Ebobisse again nearly recorded his second goal of the evening, but Lynd collected his third save of the contest to keep the score 1-0.

The Blue Devils return to action Tuesday at 7 p.m. when they host Jacksonville in their last nonconference game of the season at Koskinen Stadium.