Blue Devils Earn Road Victory Over UNC Wilmington

Tuesday, September 21

Wilmington, N.C.

7:00 PM

Duke University

UNC Wilmington

Finley Nets 3 as Duke Races Past Virginia Tech

Blue Devils Earn Road Victory Over UNC Wilmington

9/21/2010 8:53:00 PM | Men's Soccer

By: Duke Sports Information

WILMINGTON, N.C.-Duke sophomore striker Ryan Finley netted a goal in the 22nd minute as the 11th-ranked men's soccer team grabbed a 1-0 road victory over UNC Wilmington this evening in front of 1,620 fans at UNCW Soccer Stadium. Finley currently owns all three game-winning goals for the Blue Devils this season.

"It's always fun with my friend [UNC Wilmington head coach] Aidan Heaney," head coach John Kerr said. "They made our life difficult tonight and we're happy to come away with the win. They're a good team and anytime we play them it's going to be a tough game. Our goalkeeper James Belshaw had another stellar game and earned the shutout. We had some scary moments down the stretch and we need to do better with our opportunities, but we are happy to come away with a win."

UNC Wilmington (4-2-0) held a narrow 10-7 advantage in shots, while Duke (3-1-2) registered three shots on frame to the Seahawks' two.

The opening 15 minutes of the first half was an even affair with the Seahawks holding a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks. The Blue Devils struggled a bit to get into a good offensive rhythm as they failed to connect passes together through the midfield into the attacking third.

UNC Wilmington controlled possession over the next five minutes, but never threatened the goal. Duke's first shot of the game came off the foot of senior midfielder Cole Grossman as he sent a shot over the crossbar.

Just minutes later against the run of play, Grossman collected the ball in the midfield. With the Seahawks defense pushed forward, Grossman was able to find Finley wide open on the left wing. Finley quickly got in behind the defense and deftly dribbled around UNC Wilmington's goaltender a put it in the open net for his eighth goal of the season. The assist was Grossman's fourth of the year.

The goal appeared to help Duke settle down as the Blue Devils started to connect better. Finley nearly added a second as he ripped a shot from the right side that glanced off the crossbar after goalie Kevin Duckworth got a glove on the ball.

UNC Wilmington threatened in the final minutes with a great long ball from the midfield. The Duke defense recovered nicely to keep the Seahawks off the board and took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.

The second half featured back-and-forth action with both teams going forward in search of a goal. Duke created the best looks of the second session, but managed just one shot on frame. A dangerous moment for Duke came in the 69th minute as a flighted ball into the penalty area was headed just wide of the goal by a Duke defender.

With just under 16 minutes left in the second half, the Seahawks nearly evened the score as Andy McDaniel sent a free kick from about 35 yards out just over the crossbar. Just minutes later, McDaniel wreaked havoc on the Blue Devil defense again as he broke in behind Duke's defense and went down in the box. No penalty resulted and Duke held onto its 1-0 lead with 14 minutes remaining in regulation.

Looking for another tally to ice the victory for the Blue Devils in the final 10 minutes, Grossman's shot from 20 yards out was gobbled up by Duckworth.

The Seahawks pressed forward in the final 10 minutes, creating a few scary moments. However, Duke's defense and Belshaw were up to the task to post its third shutout of the season.

Duke resumes ACC play on Friday, Sept. 24, when it hosts Boston College at Koskinen Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

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