Unbeaten Streak Ends At Four In Wild Sunday Afternoon Match

Sunday, November 4

Durham, N.C.

1:00 p.m.

Duke University

Alabama A&M

Unbeaten Streak Ends At Four In Wild Sunday Afternoon Match

11/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. --- Playing without senior midfielder and captain Michael Videira and sophomore defender Josh Bienenfeld, the No. 17 Duke Blue Devils hoped to be able to scrape together a home non-conference win before their regular season finale at N.C. State on Saturday, Nov. 10. Instead, the Bulldogs gave Duke more than they could handle and left Durham with a 4-3 victory.

Things were looking up when junior forward Mike Grella scored on a penalty kick just over 20 minutes into the match. The opportunity came when grad forward Joshua Medcalf was taken down in the box while position himself to receive a Zack Pope corner kick.

However, Alabama A&M would counter with two first half goals, including one just over a minute after Grella' penalty kick. The first came off an errant goalkeeper throw by senior Justin Papadakis that set up an empty net shot for senior Mosito Ranko. Just before halftime, junior Rogers Atugonza headed in a free kick from senior Henry Kabeta.

“We had earned a 1-0 lead and just gave them a goal,” said head coach John Rennie. “That was a devastating point of the game--- it was the turning point of the game, no question. It gave them all of the confidence in the world.”

Junior goalkeeper Brendan Fitzgerald entered the match at the start of the second period but would not have much more luck.

The Duke offense tied the game at 2-2 with 21:56 left in the match when senior midfielder Joe Germanese headed the ball into the net after a heading cross from Medcalf off of a long free kick from Pope.

The Bulldogs were quick to respond again when they received a free kick at the top of the box 36 seconds later and Ranko bended it over the Duke wall and into the top left corner of the net. The call by the officials gave a yellow card to freshman defender Christian Ibeagha for an infraction inside the box, but the ball was brought out for the free kick. It was Ibeagha's fifth yellow of the year, meaning he will have to sit out the N.C. State game.

Junior defender Graham Dugoni knotted the score at 3-3 with just over 15 minutes left when he one-timed from point blank range a heading cross from Grella off of a Pope corner kick. It was Pope's fourth point this week in two games and tied him for the team lead in assists at seven.

The game-winner would come with 9:14 remaining as Ranko earned a hat trick for the afternoon by blasting a shot past a diving Fitzgerald from 20 yards out after. The assist went to senior MfanaFuthi Bhembe, who played a pinpoint cross on a counterattack to Ranko from the right side.

The Blue Devils had a difficult time overcoming the Bulldogs' physical style of play. A&M had 15 fouls to Duke's seven and were also flagged with four yellow cards in the game. It did not help that Duke was playing its sixth match in just 17 days.

The Blue Devils outshot their opponent for the 14th time in 17 games this season, holding a 14-8 advantage over the Bulldogs. Duke has outshot the opposition this season 322-153, and holds a shots on goal advantage of 134-74. Grella led Duke with five shots in the match, three of which were on goal.

Possibly the most telling statistic of the game was that the two Blue Devils goalkeepers managed only one save while allowing four goals. The Duke defense, which had allowed one goal or less in 13 games coming into Sunday, could not seem to find a solution for Ranko and the Alabama A&M attack.

“It's no more or less disappointing than any other loss,” said Rennie. “You have to give them an awful lot of credit for scoring some great goals. They were a very talented and a very determined team. The two goals on the free kick and the counterattack were all great goals.”

With the loss, Duke falls to 10-6-1 and is 3-3-1 in the ACC this year. The Blue Devils were 3-0-1 in their previous four matches. The Bulldogs improve to 7-7-1 this season as an independent.

Sunday marked the first match this year that Duke lost after scoring first. The Blue Devils were previously 9-0-1 when getting on the scoreboard first. Duke also falls to 6-5-1 at home in 2007.

Alabama A&M now leads the all-time series with the Blue Devils, 4-1. It is only one of seven programs that have a three games or better lead over Duke all-time.

Rennie's record as a collegiate coach is now 453-204-50 in 35 years. Rennie is in fifth place all-time among NCAA Division I coaches for wins and in third place among active coaches for career wins. With his 409 victories at Duke and 94 in ACC play, Rennie has the most wins of any coach in ACC history. He won Duke's first national championship in any sport in 1986. This will be Rennie's final season as Duke's head coach, a decision made prior to the 2007 season.

Senior defender Tim Jepson was named one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which is presented annually in eight NCAA Division I sports to a senior student-athlete who excels both on and off the field. Fans can vote once a day per computer online until Nov. 21 at http://soccer.seniorclassaward.com/public/men/vote.aspx. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the recipient of the award. Winners will be announced during the NCAA Championships, scheduled December 14-16 in Cary, N.C.

On Saturday, Nov. 10, Duke will head to Method Road Soccer Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. for its final regular season game of the year against N.C. State at 2 p.m. The ACC Tournament will run from Nov. 13 through Nov. 18 in Cary, N.C., this year. The official bracket for the tournament will be released on Monday, Nov. 12.

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