Duke to Face Georgia State in NCAA First Round

DURHAM, N.C.-The Duke University men's soccer team was selected to the NCAA Tournament field for the 25th time in program history and will host Georgia State in the first round November 17. The Blue Devils and Panthers picked up two of the 26 at-large bids and will kick off at 7 p.m., at Koskinen Stadium.

Duke will be making its 25th appearance overall and eighth straight in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils are 29-23-1 all-time in NCAA postseason action and 3-3-0 under current head coach John Kerr. This marks the fourth straight season Duke was selected to host a first-round contest. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens.

The Blue Devils and Panthers will square off for the first time in the NCAA Tournament and for the fifth time overall. Duke leads the series 4-0-0 with the most recent contest being in 2004.

Duke enters the NCAA Tournament with a 10-7-3 overall record and a 5-3-2 in the previous 10 matches. Headlining Duke's offense is junior forward Andrew Wenger with 17 goals and 42 points. Senior Christopher Tweed-Kent is second on the team in points with five goals and 12 assists for 22 points, including 13 in the previous eight games. Freshman Nick Palodichuk is the team's top freshman scorer with six goals and five assists for 17 points. In goal, James Belshaw sports a 1.35 goals against average and a .719 save percentage. Duke advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinal, losing to 13th-ranked Boston College 2-1.

Georgia State is making its first appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship after posting a 13-7-2 overall record. The Panthers, out of the Colonial Athletic Conference, advanced to the CAA Tournament semifinals before falling to 18th-ranked Old Dominion, 5-3. Evan Scott leads the attack with eight goals and three assists for 19 points, while Ayokunle Lumpkin has six goals and 14 points overall. In goal, Vincent Foermer has started 13 matches and sports a 1.15 goals against average and a .737 save percentage. Georgia State is 7-1-0 away from home and is 1-0 against ACC teams this year with a 1-0 win at NC State.

The winner of the contest advances to take on No. 2 seed and unbeaten New Mexico November 20 at 1 p.m.

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