Updated as of 11:04 a.m. on Oct. 9 to include another photo.
In a battle between former top 25 team Elon University men’s soccer and the No. 9 ranked Duke University Blue Devils on Oct. 8, Duke prevailed 2-1.
The first half witnessed a brutal tug-of-war between Duke and Elon, with each exchanging possession to capture the opening score of the night.
It was a fast, aggressive sequence of events that kickstarted the game. Players on both sides streaked up and down the field, making for a very draining and intensive opening 10 minutes. A couple of early shots by redshirt junior Ryan Manna and a classic, curving free kick shot by senior Scott Vatne looked promising, but a stonewall Duke defense proved to be difficult to score on.
Elon, who typically employs a more methodical approach to offense that scores off occasional spurts of offense, seemed to be lost for the beginning. The Phoenix struggled to keep up with Duke’s speedy offense that moved rapidly up and down the field. Elon was clearly not used to this type of playstyle, with many players stealing the ball from Duke and streaking down the field to run out of gas as they neared the goal — allowing the Blue Devils to take the ball right back. Possession of the ball was traded like a baton between the two teams as play continued rapidly.
But as the half progressed, Elon gathered more control of the game, finishing the half with more opportunities. Elon had 6 shots, including 4 on goal, at the end of the first half. The Blue Devils, on the other hand, struggled to find promising opportunities and only managed 2 shots without any on goal.
Redshirt sophomore Sumner Nenninger brings the ball up during a game against Duke University on Oct. 8 at Rudd Field
Head coach Marc Reeves said Elon is on the same level as Duke and that the first half proved that.
“We were every bit as good and athletic as they are,” Reeves said in an interview after the game. “We’re every bit as good a team as them. Sometimes we were without the ball for a little bit, but I thought we created more chances in the first half, and we didn't really give up anything.”
The 40th minute was where Elon struck the opening blow. A Vatne free kick was booted toward the direction of the goal and was perfectly placed, grazing off Manna’s head and skipping off into the goal. A packed Rudd Field crowd erupted into cheers as the Phoenix grabbed the lead over the 9th ranked team in the country.
The second half was a different story, however. Duke came out of the gates swinging with a goal 90 seconds into the half thanks to a rare mistake by junior Majaliwa Msabaha, who was out of position. A few minutes later, the Blue Devils scored another with a beautifully curved shot by Ulfur Bjornsson, pushing the lead to 2-1.
“When you come out of the locker room and you’re playing well and in a good position, and you know they’re going to come out with a plan in place again, you have to make sure you’re prepared for that,” Reeves said. “And we just didn’t defend well enough for that nine minute spell and gave away two goals to a really talented, deep, well-coached ACC team that’s ranked in the top 10.”
The rest of the half saw Duke see more offensive opportunities — ending with 5 more shots this half — but for the most part it was a gruesome, physical fight. A flurry of players on both sides were knocked to the ground on numerous occasions, the crowd roared at the referees and both sidelines began to chirp at each other, requiring the refs to intervene.
Senior Petro Klishch is swarmed by Duke defenders during an Oct. 8 game that saw 17 combined fouls.
One of the players that joined in on this aggressive play was sophomore Charlie Kitch. After sliding to prevent a Duke shot, he stayed on the ground, visibly in pain. He hobbled out of the game a few minutes later. Kitch, who has the most minutes on the team besides senior goalkeeper Tomasz Wroblewski, was a huge loss to the Phoenix.
Reeves said the team began to take more risks as the clock ticked down.
“It's college soccer. It's a countdown clock,” Reeves said. “You're just taking more risks and trying to go for it. I mean, we've got nothing to lose at that point.”
The final 15 minutes of the game were chaotic and full of ruthless physicality. Controversial calls and no-calls were everywhere as coaches and fans on both sides yelled at the refs about fouls or fouls they think the refs should have called. But in the final minutes, calls didn’t go in Elon’s favor. After a controversial yellow card for freshman Korey Philpot, a red card was forced not long after. Philpot was forced to leave the game and will be unable to play in Elon’s next contest. Reeves was visibly angry and said after the game that he didn’t understand the foul. Reeves was also seen talking to the refs after the game concluded.
Down a man, Elon struggled to find promising shots. After yet another yellow card on Elon, boos from the crowd rained down thunderously. Vatne appeared livid, yelling at the sideline.
“You can end this game now,” Vatne said.
The last three minutes of the game had the atmosphere of a playoff game as possession went back and forth. A corner kick with mere seconds left was the Phoenix’s last chance at equalizing, but Elon failed to capitalize as the whistle blew.
Reeves said the team showed good perseverance in the final minutes and was proud of the way they fought.
“We kept going at them,” Reeves said. “It's tough because they are a really good team to move the ball well. But I thought we played some good football at times and moved it well and got into the final third and had a couple of chances. A couple of scares at the end there for them, even getting a corner kick.”