Saturday marked not only the final road game of the season for Duke, but also its biggest margin of victory as the Blue Devils blew out Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
Duke (8-4-4, 2-3-2 in ACC) used strong play early to create a lead that quickly became insurmountable for the Hokies (4-11-1, 1-5-1 in ACC). Netting two goals in the first 12 minutes, the Blue Devils never looked back as they coasted to an easy 6-1 victory.
Forward Ryan Finley once again led Duke on the offensive attack. The sophomore raised his season goal total to 17 while collecting his third hat trick of the year. He is now tied for the Blue Devil single-season goals record with Ali Curtis, who accomplished the feat in 1999.
Coming out of the gate quickly, Duke scored its first goal in just the sixth minute of the match. Senior midfielder Cole Grossman launched a rocket at the Virginia Tech goalkeeper that rebounded at the feet of senior defender Matthew Thomas. Settling the ball in the middle of the penalty area, Thomas scored his third goal of the season and second in the last two games.
A mere six minutes later, Finley scored the first of his three goals, courtesy of an assist from Thomas. While the Blue Devils had a few more good opportunities in the half, none resulted in goals, and the score at halftime remained 2-0.
However, Duke was able to open up the contest in the second half with another pair of quick goals. Seven minutes out of halftime, Finley took a pass from Grossman and found the back of the net for his second goal of the match. Returning the favor, Finley provided the assist for a Grossman goal four minutes later.
Finley completed his hat trick in the 66th minute, when he took a pass from junior midfielder Chris Tweed-Kent and chipped it beautifully over Virginia Tech goalkeeper James Daly.
Defensively, the only lapse for the Blue Devils immediately followed Finley’s third tally: Hokies’ midfielder Patrick Huang scored his team’s lone goal of the match in the 67th minute. Despite losing the shutout, sophomore goalkeeper James Belshaw gave the Blue Devils a solid performance overall, recording two saves in 75 minutes of play.
While every victory in the ACC is important, Saturday’s win was especially critical because of its effect on playoff momentum. The Blue Devils had yet to come away with a conference road victory this season, losing to Maryland and Clemson and tying rival N.C. State. With the tournament being held in Cary, N.C., this road victory should give the Blue Devils increased confidence in their ability to win away from home come playoff time.
Duke finishes up its regular season Friday as Wake Forest travels to Koskinen Stadium at 7 p.m.
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