No. 7 Blue Devils Advance to NCAA Third Round in 2-1 Win Over UCLA

Sunday, November 21

Durham, N.C.

1 P.M.

Duke University

14-4-1, 5-2-1

UCLA

11-7-1, 5-4-1

UCLA

Duke

Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 7 Blue Devils Advance to NCAA Third Round in 2-1 Win Over UCLA

11/21/2021 7:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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DURHAM – The seventh-seeded Duke men's soccer program scored two goals 39 seconds apart, to secure a 2-1 victory over UCLA Sunday afternoon at Koskinen Stadium and advance to the third round of the NCAA Championship.

The Blue Devils (14-4-1, 5-2-1 ACC) registered the tying goal from freshman Ruben Mesalles in the 87th minute, while sophomore Peter Stroud delivered the winner in the 88th minute. Sophomores Lewis McGarvey and Nick Pariano tallied assists in the win, as the Blue Devils out-shot the Bruins (11-7-1, 5-4-1 Pac-12) 28-6.

"I've got to give credit to UCLA," said head coach John Kerr. "They fought their tails off under the circumstances and credit to our guys as well, because it's not easy playing against 10 men when they are all inside their own 35-yard line. So, it was a very difficult game all the way around for both teams and luckily we came out on top."

With the win, Duke is back in the third round of the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2018 and improves to 10-7 all-time in NCAA second round contests.

Despite the total shot numbers, it was the Bruins who were the first team on the board. In the ninth minute, Tucker Lepley avoided a challenge by the Duke defense and fed Jose Sosa, who tucked his shot into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.

The game changed in the 34th minute, when the Bruins' Yoni Sorokin picked up his second yellow card of the game and was sent off, leaving UCLA shorthanded. UCLA was able to manage the game for the remainder of the half, but the Blue Devils emerged from the locker room and started the second half quickly.

Up a man, the Blue Devils outshot the Bruins 19-1 in the second half and had several quality chances throughout the half. Sophomore Antino Lopez had the first of several golden chances, forcing UCLA goalkeeper Nate Crockford to make one his 10 saves.

The Blue Devils continued to fire shots on net, finally cracking the code in the 87th minute. Pariano carried the ball on the attack and fired a crossing ball into the box, which Crockford got a hand on. After bouncing in the box, the ball came to the feet of McGarvey, who set up Mesalles on a one-touch pass that the freshman buried past an out of position netminder to tie the game at 1-1.

Quickly off the kickoff, the Blue Devils regained possession and Mesalles fired another ball into the box. UCLA was unable to clear, as Pariano secured the rebound. The Philadelphia, Pa., native hugged the top of UCLA's box and after a blocked shot attempt, passed it off to Stroud. Stroud fired a shot from the top of the penalty arc that grazed off a defender and into the back of the net for a 2-1 lead.

The Blue Devils maintained the lead and got some added help when another UCLA player, Pietro Grassi, was sent off with a straight red card, leaving the Bruins with just nine men. The Blue Devils did not allow a chance at an equalizer, corralling the short-handed Bruins to advance to the next round.

The Blue Devils will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 27, against 10th-seeded Saint Louis, which advanced past Long Island, 5-1, in the third round of the NCAA Championship. The game will kick off at 7 p.m., in Koskinen Stadium.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's soccer, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMSOC".

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