High-Scoring Second Half Helps No. 15 Duke Beat Elon, 3-0

Tuesday, October 10

Durham, N.C.

7 p.m.

Duke University

7-3-1, 2-3-0

Elon

1-7-3, 0-3-2

Elon

Duke

High-Scoring Second Half Helps No. 15 Duke Beat Elon, 3-0

10/10/2023 10:13:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

DURHAM – Three second-half goals propelled the 15th-ranked Duke men's soccer team to a 3-0 victory over Elon on Tuesday night at Koskinen Stadium. The Blue Devils (7-3-1) used goals from Forster Ajago, Luke Thomas and Drew Kerr to secure the shutout against the Phoenix (1-7-3).

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both teams spent the opening minutes getting accustomed to the flow of the game, with just one shot taken by each side in the first 15 minutes of action.
Neither team found themselves with high-quality scoring chances through the middle part of the first half, but Duke surged in the final ten minutes of the opening frame, taking seven shots and earning three corners. The home side couldn't find the back of the net, however, and the match remained scoreless going into halftime.
Duke continued the offensive pressure out of the break, taking three shots over the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Forster Ajago opened the Blue Devils' ledger in the 61st minute, heading a Ruben Mesalles free kick towards the back post and past the Elon goalkeeper.
The scoring continued just over 90 seconds later, as Luke Thomas blasted a left-footed strike from just outside the penalty box into the top right corner of the goal. Nick Pariano and Wayne Frederick earned assists on the goal.
The third and final goal of the night was scored in the 77th minute by Drew Kerr, who soared to head in his second goal of the season. The goal was assisted by Thomas and Cameron Fisher.

NOTES

With the victory, Duke has now gone undefeated in 18 consecutive regular-season matches at Koskinen Stadium.
The three second-half goals moved Duke's tally to 20 goals following halftime this season. The Blue Devils have out-scored their opponents 20-6 in the second half.
Duke entered Tuesday night third nationally in shots per game (17.90) and tied for 18th nationally in shots on goal per game (6.50). The Blue Devils finished the contest with 20 and 10, respectively, increasing their season averages to 18.09 and 6.82.
Forster Ajago scored his fifth goal in as many matches. It was his 10th goal of the season, adding on to his ACC-leading season total.
Luke Thomas scored the first goal of his season less than a minute after subbing into the match. He added an assist on the Drew Kerr goal to finish the night with three points.
The goal scored by Kerr was the sophomore's second of the 2023 campaign.
Nick Pariano tallied the fifth assist of his season and now has 13 total points, second-most on the team.
Lewis McGarvey returned to action for the first time in nearly two years, having missed the entirety of the 2022 season and the first 10 games in 2023 while recovering from injury.

QUOTES

"I thought our passing was pretty good, maybe slightly off, in the first half. But our intentions were good and we dominated the game. I'm proud how we came out in the second half … and scored three really good goals. But the first two were spectacular. Really good." – head coach John Kerr on how the team progressed through the game.
"It came to me at the top of the box, fortunately we were able to build out of the back on that play and [Nick Pariano] went down the left, cut it back at the top of the box. Just kind of came to me and I took the shot. But it was a good team goal, we built up all the way from the back." – Duke senior Luke Thomas on second-half goal.
"Yeah, a beautiful thing. [Lewis McGarvey] has been working, every single day, two hours a day, at full pace. Without hesitation. And to come back after that long and do so well tonight, as well, everybody was happy for him. Great to see a smile on his face because it's easy to get down on yourself when you've been out for two years and struggled. So, really pleased for him and could be a big lift for us." – Kerr on the return of McGarvey to the field.

UP NEXT

Duke caps off its brief two-game homestand on Friday night, taking on NC State in an ACC matchup. The match, broadcast on ACC Network, is scheduled to start at 8 p.m., at Koskinen Stadium. Friday serves as a Duke soccer doubleheader, with the women's soccer team taking on Clemson at 5 p.m.

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

#GoDuke