Men's Soccer Falls to UNC Greensboro 1-0 in Exhibition

Wednesday, August 20

Greensboro, N.C.

7 p.m.

Duke University

UNC Greensboro (Exhibition)

Men's Soccer Set to Take on UNC-Greensboro in Exhibition on Aug. 20

Men's Soccer Falls to UNC Greensboro 1-0 in Exhibition

8/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

By: Duke Sports Information

GREENSBORO, N.C.--After nearly 88 minutes of scoreless play, UNC Greensboro snuck in a goal to defeat Duke 1-0 in an exhibition men's soccer game at UNCG Soccer Stadium on Aug. 20. The Blue Devils outshot the Spartans 14-7 for the game and won the corner kick battle 7-3. It was the first match for Duke since beginning preseason practice a week ago.

"It was a good game for us in many ways," head coach John Kerr said. "The surroundings and atmosphere were great. The opposing fans were vociferous to say the least and it was great for us to experience that.

The Blue Devils controlled the run of play in the early going and got their first good look at goal in the ninth minute when Ian Kalis served the ball to Josh Bienenfeld in the penalty box. Bienenfeld headed the ball down to the feet of Kyle Bethel who had his shot smothered by Spartan goalie Chad Janda.

Kalis nearly put Duke on the scoreboard five minutes later with a rocket off his left foot from 25 yards out, but Janda was able to get his fingertips on the ball to tip it over the crossbar.

UNC Greensboro had its first opportunity with 29 minutes left in the half with a free kick from 25 yards out. Jokull Elisabetarson stepped up and lifted the ball over the wall, but sent it just high and wide of the net.

Duke continued to attack the Spartan defense as Bethel got in behind the backline and nearly snuck one past Janda at the near post. The Blue Devils continued to maintain the majority of possession in the final 25 minutes as they built through the mdifield. Despite the pressure put on by the Duke attack, UNC Greensboro's defense continued to stymie Duke's scoring chances.

With just over 10 minutes left Nick Sih tested Janda once again with a rip from the top of the 18-yard box. Janda dove to his right to make the stop and keep the score tied.

The Spartans held strong for the remainder of the half as the two teams headed into the break tied at zero.

The Blue Devils came out of the half and continued to control the run of play for the opening 10 minutes. UNC Greensboro responded by finding its rhythm and started to find holes in the Blue Devils' defense. The Spartans nearly took the 1-0 lead in the 18 minutes in as Sven Picton got in behind the defense. He slipped the ball past goalie Jan Trnka-Amhrein, but his touch went just right of the goal.

The up-and-down and action continued from both squads with both teams creating good scoring chances. The Spartans gained the momentum for much of the remaining part of the half. UNC Greensboro capitalized on its chances, tallying what proved to be the game-winner in the 88th minute. After a failed clear by the Blue Devils, Spartan midfielder Matt Strine collected the ball and passed it into the open net. That proved to be the decision maker for the game as the Spartans held on in the final minutes for the 1-0 victory.

"The other team made life difficult as their defensive scheme was hard for us to break down," Kerr said. "We had good movement on and off the ball, but we were just a little too slow at times. But overall, I'm happy with the performance."

Brendan Fitzgerald and Trnka-Amhrein split time in net with Trnka-Amhrein making three stops in the second stanza. Janda and Berry made a combined 11 stops in the 90 minutes of action.

Duke will play its second exhibition match on Aug. 23 against Real Maryland at the RFK auxiliary fields. That games is set for 1:30 p.m. The Blue Devils kick off the regular season on Aug. 29 at Indiana at 7:30 p.m.

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