ELON, N.C. — Bend, don’t break.
On a chilly fall evening at Rudd Field, No. 16 Duke outlasted the Phoenix 2-1 in a resilient second-half comeback. The Blue Devils traveled to Elon, N.C., to take on a team that was ranked 17th in the country just a week ago, looking for a much-needed win following their devastating 2-2 draw to No. 16 SMU at home.
“We went 2-1 up, and then [Elon] had to come out and deal with us,” head coach John Kerr said after the game. “Our guys did a good job of making good decisions on the ball.”
Even though the Blue Devils seemed to control a moderate chunk of the match’s first-half possession, they ended the period without a single shot on net, and it was the Phoenix (8-3-1, 4-1 in the CAA) who struck first. Elon midfielder Ryan Manna ricocheted a right-sideline freekick past Duke goalkeeper Wessel Speel with five minutes remaining in the first half to give the home team a 1-0 lead. From there, Duke had no choice but to turn around its lackluster offense for the match’s second frame.
Frustrated by its 2-0 lead blown against the Mustangs just days before, the Blue Devils (5-2-3, 2-1-2 in the ACC) knew they needed to start swinging as soon as the first-half whistle blew. Duke took control of the match from the start, sending balls over, through, and around the midfield with ease.
A 19th-minute through ball to sophomore forward Ulfur Bjornsson looked like it would rip the game wide open, but the Phoenix back line somehow managed to force Duke out of its box empty handed. Elon handled several of these Blue Devil chances in a similar fashion throughout the first half: As soon as it looked like Kerr’s team would take the early lead, the ball made itself back to the home team’s attacking half as the Phoenix made a counter-attack.
“In the first half, they were playing a little bit cagey, not letting us come forward easily and not pressing us,” Kerr said.
Eventually, Duke’s lack of shooting in its attacking half came to haunt it as Manna slipped one past Speel to give the home team that 1-0 lead.
The Duke goalkeeper transferred to Durham this season from Hofstra, a program which competes in the CAA alongside Elon. The Dutch keeper has competed at Rudd Field many times before, and has never lost a game on its grass. His first trip to Elon as a Blue Devil was certainly one of significance.
“I thought Wessel was really good in goal,” Kerr said. “He made a couple of really good saves there and made good decisions punching balls and making sure that he was dominating his six-yard box.”
Head coach Marc Reeves’ squad entered the half with the lead on an in-state, power-5 rival, and everyone in attendance knew the home team wouldn’t want to give it up easily.
But Duke didn’t stay down for long; just a minute into the first half, graduate forward Adam Luckhurst — the Blue Devils’ leading scorer — added another tally to his season scorecard off a Bjornsson assist. Just like that, it was anyone’s game.
“Adam scored a typical Adam goal,” Kerr said. “That got us back in the game and gave us some confidence.”
What seemed like a monumental lead over a Duke squad that had yet to record a single shot on net was back to even.
The Phoenix tried its best to earn the lead back over its ACC visitors, but Bjornsson had other plans. The Icelandic attacker opened his hips at the top corner of the box and delivered one top bins to earn Duke the 2-1 lead.
“We opened up and created opportunities to make them have to deal with us,” Kerr said. “That was the difference in the game.”
Haunted by two leads blown in the past three games, the Blue Devils knew all too well that their lead wouldn’t have significance until the clock hit zeroes — that is, the imaginary clock. Elon’s scoreboard went out of commission 22 minutes into the match and never turned back on.
Eventually the Blue Devil offense cooled down, and it became apparent that the odds of a Duke victory would depend on the team’s defense. Sophomore midfielder-turned-defender Bull Jorgensen held his ground in front of Speel, heading out any lobs the Phoenix brought to his backline.
The physicality continued, and it seemed that every call the game’s referee made was met with thundering disapproval by the packed bleachers on Rudd Field. In the 83rd minute, Elon’s Korey Philpot was sent off the field with a red card, and with a man down, the Phoenix was unable to complete its rebound. The Blue Devils were finally on the winning side of a comeback. Duke earned its fifth win of the season.
The Blue Devils come home to Koskinen Sunday in their sixth ACC matchup of the season, against Wake Forest.
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