Midfielder Cole Grossman slammed his fists repeatedly on the ground, seemingly not knowing what else to do. Head coach John Kerr left right after the game, not talking to his players or the media. The entire team looked around stunned, watching its season, and possibly its NCAA tournament spot, begin to slip from its grasp.
The Blue Devils (6-5-1) were stunned 2-1 in overtime Tuesday in Koskinen Stadium by Florida Atlantic-a team that came into the game with a 2-9-1 record with its biggest win coming against Jacksonville. It was a matchup that was supposed to be a breather from a brutal ACC schedule, a pick-me-up from Duke's 2-0 loss to North Carolina Friday and a tune-up before playing No. 1 Wake Forest Saturday.
Instead, the Owls humbled Duke.
"I can't take anything away from Florida Atlantic," assistant coach Michael Brady said. "They outworked us. They were tougher than us mentally and physically. They deserved the win."
The Blue Devils never seemed to find their rhythm in the game. The Owls came out physically, and the Duke offense seemed shaken, remaining stagnant, taking few quality shots and seeing every offensive threat thwarted by a tough Florida Atlantic defense.
In the 35th minute, though, forward Mike Grella took a throw-in and juked two defenders, faking goalie Phillip Lamarre into diving and scored easily on an empty net.
It would turn out to be the only offense Duke could muster. The Owls came out of halftime on the assault, but it wasn't until the 83rd minute that they evened the game. Midfielder Gianni Piccoletti hit the right side netting for a goal.
Piccoletti's late goal forced overtime, and seven minutes into the extra period, Florida Atlantic forward Shire Standnes emerged from a crowd in the midfield to beat Duke goalkeeper Brendan Fitzgerald on a breakaway.
The upset was complete.
Duke's suddenly one-dimensional offense seemed to plague the home team. Of the 12 Duke shots, Grella had six. Of the six shots on goal, he took four. Playing without Kyle Bethel, the Blue Devils' second-leading scorer who broke his arm two weeks ago, Grella was forced to take the brunt of the offensive load.
"[Losing Bethel] is definitely hurting us," Brady said.
He insisted, however, that Bethel's absence was not the reason for the upset. He attributed that to a Florida Atlantic team that was simply tougher than Duke.
The game plan for Duke's next contest Saturday against No. 1 Wake Forest, then, is simple.
"We'll take everything and do the opposite," Brady said.
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