CHAPEL HILL -- Tony Volpe had been on the bench for much of the Duke men's soccer season, nursing an injury and watching freshman Josh Henderson light up Duke opponents for goal after goal.
However, when Henderson went down with an injury in Sunday's game against archrival North Carolina, Volpe made the most of his chance. The junior forward came in and scored a goal to lift the No. 3 Blue Devils to a 2-1 victory over No. 7 UNC.
"[Volpe] is incredibly patient," Duke head coach John Rennie said. "He doesn't get to play a lot, but he's got a great attitude and is one of the hardest workers on the team. It was a great goal."
The score remained knotted at nil until well into the second half--surprising for a game that featured two of the nation's most potent offenses.
With 14 minutes left in the match, freshman midfielder Jay Heaps took a cross from defender Michael Dunne and fired a shot from 10 yards out. UNC goalkeeper Dimitry Drouin made a diving save, which rebounded back up the center of the field. Volpe closed in on the ball and buried a right-footer from 12 yards away to give Duke the lead.
Volpe came into the game after Henderson, the team's leading scorer, was tackled while trying to make a pass. Henderson injured his left ankle and foot on the play, and was taken out with 11 minutes to go in the first half. The extent of Henderson's injuries are still unclear.
Midfielder Andy Kwon sealed up the Duke victory with four minutes to go in the game. Taking a through pass from forward Brian Kelly, a streaking Kwon was taken down in the right side of the penalty box by Tar Heel sweeper James Johnson. Kwon stuffed the resulting penalty kick into the lower left corner of the net to put Duke ahead 2-0.
Duke goalkeeper John Morton lost his bid for a shutout when UNC forward Kerry Zavagnin slipped behind the Duke defense and scored on a near-post shot with 2:16 left in the game. Morton recorded three saves on the day.
Duke's record improves to 8-1 (2-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) with the victory, while North Carolina falls to 6-3 (0-3 in the ACC).
The Blue Devils showed an impressive ability to move the ball downfield, mixing quick one-touch passes up the middle with long, through balls down the sidelines. In the first half the team was unable to convert this movement into goals, however.
Duke seemed reluctant to shoot from 18 yards and out. Instead, it attempted to slide short passes between UNC defenders near the goal. Johnson, filling in for injured Tar Heel All-American Eddie Pope, did a good job of breaking up the Blue Devils' efforts to get close. At halftime, Duke and North Carolina had managed only three shots on goal each.
The second half was a different story. Duke took control behind some outstanding play from Heaps and Kelly, who repeatedly pushed the ball deep into North Carolina territory. The Blue Devils were able to get numerous shots on goal from ten yards and in, while UNC struggled to mount an attack.
"They've got a great team," Kelly said. "To play and perform at the level we did is just great. It gives us a lot of confidence."
Volpe was not the only new face on the field for Duke. The game's lineup also featured the return of senior midfielder Bobby Moghim and the first start of the season for junior midfielder Sam Smith. Both Moghim and Smith put in solid performances for the Blue Devils.
"We're playing the players who are playing well right now," Rennie said. "It worked out."
Duke also did an excellent job of bottling up All-American forward Temoc Suarez, who leads North Carolina with six goals and four assists this season. Marked primarily by defenders Adam Mastrelli and Evan Whitfield, Suarez was unable to get any good shots on goal.
"Against a player like Temoc, you always have to be aware of him on the field," Rennie said. "They didn't get much of anything until the end."
The Blue Devils got more than the satisfaction of defeating the hated Tar Heels--they picked up an important ACC win to improve their conference record to 2-1.
Rennie was obviously proud of his team's play. "It was a great effort," he said.
Duke will next face Marshall at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Duke Soccer Stadium.
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