Seven minutes into overtime Saturday night, senior Mike Grella found himself facing Virginia goalkeeper Michael Giallombardo alone on a penalty kick. After giving a head fake that caused Giallombardo to dive to his left, Grella floated an easy shot into the middle of the goal to steal a thrilling 1-0 upset win over the No. 19 Cavaliers in Koskinen Stadium.
The Blue Devils' reaction said it all, as the entire team took off down the field celebrating. After Duke went through a rough stretch that included losses against then-No. 16 North Carolina and Florida Atlantic, Grella's goal gave the Blue Devils the big win they needed at a critical juncture in the season.
"It saved the season-it was that important," defenseman Pavelid Castaneda said. "We're right on that bubble trying to get into the tournament. UVa was ahead of us in the standings, and we had to win. It's the most important win we've had all year."
Playing in front of an animated crowd, Duke (8-5-2, 3-2-2 in the ACC) looked to ride its momentum from a recent successful road trip that included a win over Elon and a draw with No. 1 Wake Forest into the matchup with Virginia (8-5-1, 4-2).
But the Blue Devils came out flat in the first period, unable to create any shot opportunities while conceding seven shots to the Cavaliers.
The turning point came in the second half when senior captain Darrius Barnes was ejected. With 34 minutes left in regulation, Barnes was charged with a red card-through the accumulation of two yellows-when the referee took offense to some of the captain's comments.
"Luckily for us, it seemed to inspire us," head coach John Kerr said. "We were pretty good when the chips were down. We raised our level of work rate and desire, and my hat's off to them. They really came through in the end."
Although the Blue Devils played a man down for the remainder of the game, they garnered more scoring opportunities after Barnes left the pitch. In the 70th minute, sophomore Nick Sih streaked neck and neck with a defender toward the goal, but the chance was squashed when Giallombardo charged out and smothered the ball. And in the last 20 seconds of regulation, Duke missed a golden opportunity off of a set piece, when Grella's cross was punched out by the keeper.
"Even though [Virginia] had the man advantage, they kept four or five guys back, which allowed us to go forward," Kerr said. "We said to [the players] at the end of regulation, be aware that if you do win the ball, you'll have some space to get into. And let's have a go. Let's go forward and see what we can do."
Duke carried that mentality into overtime, when it claimed the only two shots of the extra period.
With only 10 men, the Blue Devils had to rely on set pieces, or on something special to score, Grella said.
His penalty kick qualified as both.
Off a Duke throw-in, Grella possessed the ball with his back to the goal and a defender right behind him. He flicked the ball up over his own head and spun around quickly enough to cause the defender to grab at him and bring him down. The resulting penalty kick proved to be the game-winner for the Blue Devils.
It was a fitting end to what Kerr called a "bizarre" game that included seven yellow cards, a torn jersey on forward Trae Harrison, and the fire alarm going off in Skandalaris Fieldhouse adjacent to the pitch.
Both Kerr and Grella were quick to credit the Duke defense for an outstanding performance. Without Barnes on the back line, Castaneda and goalie Brendan Fitzgerald anchored what Grella described as an "unbelievable" defensive effort. Fitzgerald posted five saves on the night.
The victory against Virginia gives Duke a huge lift going into its final stretch of the season-.
"You can see the morale in the team," Castaneda said, acknowledging the momentum Duke hopes to gain from the win. "I can't even tell you how we won this game. We just sat back and took shot after shot after shot, and we just snuck one in. I can't even tell you how important this win was."
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