MSOC: Duke Sophomores Shine in Victory over Saint Mary's

Durham, N.C. — Duke University sophomore forward Jeremy Ebobisse led the charge with a career-high two tallies as the Blue Devils held off Saint Mary’s for a 3-2 season-opening victory. Duke is back in action with day two of the John Rennie Nike Invitational Sunday against DePaul at 2:30 p.m.

Sophomore defender Markus Fjørtoft joined Ebobisse on the scoresheet and Kevon Black and Macario Hing-Glover both contributed assists as the talented group of sophomores registered eight of the 10 points on the night.

“[The sophomore class] has come a long way,” said head coach John Kerr. “They’re talented and everyone can see that the talent level is there, but they are maturing together and they understand what’s needed to be successful. I think that’s the big turning point.”

Duke was firing on all cylinders in the easy going, attacking both down the flanks and through the middle. Just over a minute in sophomore Cameron Moseley had a great look at the goal on a cross from Hing-Glover, but it skipped wide left of the net.

Senior midfielder Zach Mathers had a go at goal minutes later from 20 yards that was smothered by Saint Mary’s goalkeeper Lucas Champenois and the Blue Devils continued to control the run of play throughout the opening 20 minutes of the first half.

Saint Mary’s was able to get back into the game in the final 20 minutes and nearly took the 1-0 lead on a header from Will Kendall over Duke goalie Wilson Fisher. Tyler Hilliard, instinctively in the perfect position, covered behind Fisher and cleared the ball off the line.

The Blue Devils regained some of their footing and in the 43 minute Fjørtoft gave them the 1-0 lead with a header at the far post from a Jared Rist corner kick. The goal was the defender’s second career as a Blue Devil, while the assist for Rist was his first in a Duke uniform.

“It was a relief,” said Fjørtoft. “Right before that we got a deflection for a corner and I tell Jared to get it to me because I’m confident that I’m going to win it if it comes to me. There was really no other way because we really deserved a goal.”

The momentum from the 1-0 halftime lead carried through into second half for the Blue Devils. Duke wasted little time in seemingly putting away the Gaels with two goals in the first 10 minutes from Ebobisse.

“The movement [on offense] was terrific,” Kerr said. “The first half they were moving, playing with cohesiveness and getting into dangerous spots. My only disappointment is that after all those shots we only had three goals. Overall, for the first game of the year I’m pleased with the performance.”

The sophomore striker’s first tally was a header from a fantastic service from Black on the left side. The second score four minutes later was a result of quick ball movement from the Blue Devils. Tyler Hilliard collected a loose ball and quickly touched it to Hing-Glover on the right side where he sent it into the penalty box for Ebobisse to head home.

With a 3-0 lead and complete control of the action, Duke appeared well on its way to a relatively easy victory. However, a goal from Saint Mary’s in the 63rd minute against the run of play put the Blue Devils’ back against the wall.

The Gaels continued to pressure the Blue Devils and capitalized again in the 89th minute on another failed clearance out of the penalty area. Duke buckled down in the final 1:29 to come away with the victory.

Fisher went the full 90 minutes in goal and made three saves, while Champenois had eight. The Blue Devils held an impressive 24-10 advantage in shots overall for the game.

Duke hosts DePaul in the John Rennie Nike Invitational finale Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.