Trevor Perea's final home game in Koskinen Stadium was one he will never forget.
As his goal that would eventually become the game winner sank into the net at the 25:18 mark, the midfielder capped off a remarkably successful career as a Blue Devil. The solo goal for the night gave Duke (11-6-1) the 1-0 victory over Georgia State (6-9-1) to close out the regular season.
The Dallas, Tx. native connected on a goal after Jordan Cila's shot deflected back to Perea for the 10-yard one-timer. The score was Perea's third goal of the season, all three of which have been game winners.
"I feel pretty good," junior defender Matt Ahumada said. "I wish we could have scored more goals, but we played pretty well. We had a few balls not bounce our way, but at this point, a win is a win and we will take it."
Duke will graduate eight other seniors--Robert Antoniou, Andy Borman, Adam Guren, Mark Mattern, Jamal McClendon, Donald McIntosh, Scott Noble, and Michael Weiner.
"It was definitely more of an emotional game," sophomore Owoicho Adogwa said. "The freshmen and sophomores are just coming into the program, but these seniors have maintained a legacy. They've done a great service to Duke."
Duke came out strong, in gaining 14 shots in the first half, compared to Georgia State's four. Duke outshot the Panthers for the game by a total of 21-7.
Sophomore Justin Trowbridge earned his third shutout of the day in goal for the Blue Devils, and finished with three saves off seven shots. Panther goalkeeper Will Chaple made seven saves on Duke's 21 shots for the contest. Duke also won the battle of corner kicks, gaining eight, which was five more than Georgia State.
The Blue Devils will have a week of preparation for the ACC Tournament, when they play fourth ranked Virginia Nov. 14 in Cary. Duke is seeded No. 5 in the tournament.
Ahumada feels that the team is ready to give a good fight and he feels confident about where they stand after last night's showing.
"We feel confident, but anything can happen in the ACCs," he said. "The key is that we bring our intensity and 100 percent effort. It's more what we bring than what the other team brings, and if we can bring our intensity than we can go a long way."
Adogwa expressed similar confidence and is ready to take on Virginia.
"Last time we lost to Virginia 3-1," he said. "We have a good shot at them now. I think we owe them something."
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