Following their biggest win of the year against then-No. 9 UCLA, the Blue Devils looked to carry the momentum into their ACC opener.
But a few missed chances early in the game and an unfortunate deflection prevented Duke from notching its second straight road upset.
No. 25 Boston College upended the Blue Devils 1-0 Saturday evening at Newton Campus Field in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The Eagles controlled the pace for much of the contest, outshooting the Blue Devils 12-10 and holding a 12-7 edge in corner kicks to preserve a 1-0 lead after a goal in the 51st minute.
“It wasn’t the night we wanted, we weren’t as sharp as we normally have been so far this season,” Duke head coach John Kerr told GoDuke.com. “We just took one on the chin and we have to move forward.”
Boston College’s goal came after a back-and-forth first half when sophomore forward Simon Enstrom struck a shot from distance that deflected off a Blue Devil defender, wrong-footing goalkeeper Robert Moewes and finding its way into the net.
“They scored a really good goal off the counter attack. They are really good off the counter attack,” Kerr said. “The ball was deflected and went past Robert, so very unfortunate for us.”
Also unfortunate was the Blue Devils’ inability to capitalize on a few scoring opportunities at the beginning and end of Saturday’s game.
The teams’ ACC opener started quickly, with Duke (2-1-1, 0-1 in the ACC) creating the first scoring chance of the game when junior midfielder Brian White had a header tipped onto the crossbar by Boston College goalkeeper Cedric Saladin in the fourth minute. White scored the game-winner in the 1-0 win against UCLA in the 88th minute and nearly put his team ahead right away Saturday evening.
“We had an early chance with Brian White early in the first half,” Kerr said. “The goalkeeper made a great save and it went off the crossbar, so that would have [given] us a bit more belief and a bit more confidence.”
After the first 10 minutes, the Eagles (4-1, 1-0) settled down and began to take control of the game. They probed the Blue Devil defense for the remaining part of the half, forcing Moewes to make several key saves to keep Duke in the game. The graduate transfer finished with three saves, and was tested again when Boston College tried to add an insurance goal.
They nearly landed the knockout blow several times—the closest call coming with a shot off the post late in the second half—but the Blue Devil defense held firm to give the team a chance. Duke has surrendered just three goals in four contests.
Energized by the defensive stops, the Blue Devils sent several players forward in search of an equalizer. Duke generated several corner kicks and created a realistic scoring opportunity for junior Cameron Moseley in the game’s final moments. But the midfielder could not beat Saladin to send the game into overtime.
“We were pressing down to the very end,” Kerr said. “We created some really good looks at the goal and we could not convert. The goalkeeper made some big saves for them down the stretch. It was not meant to be.”
The ACC schedule does not grant Kerr’s team any favors, as Duke will face another ranked team in No. 21 Wake Forest Friday evening in its next game.
However, Friday’s game is at the friendly confines of Koskinen Stadium and kicks off a four-game home stretch that the Blue Devils hope can propel them to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011. Duke has not played a home game since Aug. 28.
“It’s going to be good to get back home,” Kerr said. “Looking forward to the challenge in Wake Forest, who is a very, very talented team and we’re going to get ourselves ready.”
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