Two teams took the field with a chance to win the ACC championship Friday night in Winston-Salem in Duke’s regular season finale. Unfortunately for the No. 11 Blue Devils, they couldn’t keep pace with No. 4 Wake Forest as the Demon Deacons (13-3-2, 5-2-1 in the ACC) clinched a share of the regular season conference title with a 3-0 win at Spry Stadium.
Despite rolling into the match on a five-game winning streak, Duke (12-5-0, 4-4-0) couldn’t maintain the momentum as Wake Forest notched its fist tally only 14 minutes into the first half. The Demon Deacons’ Andy Lubahn was able to win a battle against the Blue Devil defense in the box and finish a cross from teammate Justin Lichtfuss.
Coming into the match, it was clear that Duke’s defense would be tested by the Demon Deacons’ powerful offense, which averages almost 17 shots per game. Wake Forest did not disappoint, and kept creating opportunities after its goal.
Off a set piece midway through the first period, the Demon Deacons were able to pass the ball into the Duke box, where Lubahn ripped a shot just wide, barely missing his second goal of the match.
The Blue Devils managed to put together a couple of scoring attempts before halftime, but headers by junior Christian Ibeagha and freshman Ryan Finley both missed the target.
The beginning of the second half saw more of the same, as the Demon Deacons continued to batter the Duke defense. The Blue Devils’ backs could only hold the fort for seven minutes before Zack Schilawski knocked home his own rebound to make it 2-0.
Duke never quite managed to reverse the tide and spent the rest of the second half scrambling to prevent the Demon Deacons from scoring again. The coup de grâce came in the 73rd minute when Chris Estridge put the game out of reach with Wake Forest’s third goal.
Up next for the Blue Devils is the ACC tournament. Duke begins play Wednesday.
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