Again, Ryan Finley saved the day.
The sophomore scored his fifth game-winning goal of the year in overtime Tuesday night as No. 24 Duke (6-3-4) overcame High Point (10-3-1) 2-1. In an up and down game, Finley managed to score his second goal of the game with less than a minute left in the first overtime period.
Duke faced an atypical Tuesday night nonconference foe at Koskinen Stadium.
“Their record speaks for itself,” head coach John Kerr said. “They gave us a very good game tonight; it wasn’t an easy game for us at all.”
Surprisingly, High Point had a large contigent of fans who were loud and vocal throughout the game, often times eclipsing the noise Duke fans made. The festive atmosphere gave the game a sense of excitement, and the Blue Devils responded quickly.
With less than two minutes elapsed in the game, Christopher Tweed-Kent sent a beautiful through-ball into the box, which the team’s leading scorer, Finley, tapped in with ease. Duke dominated the first half, forcing several saves from the High Point keeper, Michael Chesler, while the Panthers struggled to organize themselves and failed to record a shot on goal.
The second half began much the same way the first ended. The Blue Devils continued to pressure High Point, but due to a combination of sloppy passing, good defense and several offside calls, they failed to score their second goal.
The rhythm of the game completely changed with High Point’s Karo Okiomah’s red card in the 71st minute. The Panthers’ leading goal-scorer struck Daniel Tweed-Kent after a rough interchange, causing his ejection and seemingly dooming the Panthers.
However, with ten men, High Point suddenly started to not only rally and play better defense, but also began organizing real offense attacks that it had been unable to make earlier in the game.
The offensive chances finally led to results for the Panthers. In the 80th minute, Fejiro Okiomah, younger brother of Karo, scored on James Belshaw off a header. High Point would refuse to settle for tie, and the last ten minutes of the game were a frantic battle for possession. Neither team, however, was able to break the tie in regulation.
As overtime began, the Panthers lined up with only ten men, meaning they would have to play tactically sound soccer to make up for the effects of fatigue.
“Any time a team is down ten men...[and] it’s going to 90-plus minutes, you gotta love your chances,” Finley said.
Indeed, Duke seemed to not only have regained its confidence, but also began playing with a hustle and intensity it missed in the second half.
It paid off on a beautiful combination play. Christopher Tweed-Kent sent a cross inside to Jonathan Aguirre, who passed it to an open Finley, who scored with a crisp volley to end the game. Finley’s two goals push his season total to 12, the best mark in the conference.
With four games left before the ACC tournament, the win has given the Blue Devils a spark it desperately needed.
“We would like to win all the games we have left, put ourselves in the right frame of mind,” Kerr said. “This win gives us some confidence.
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