No. 9 Duke Defeats Virginia, 2-0, in ACC Opener

Friday, September 8

Durham, N.C.

7 p.m.

Duke University

4-0-1, 1-0-0

Virginia

3-2-0, 0-1-0

Virginia

Duke

No. 9 Duke Defeats Virginia, 2-0, in ACC Opener

9/8/2023 10:26:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

DURHAM – The Duke men's soccer team opened ACC action with a 2-0 victory over Virginia at Koskinen Stadium on Friday night. The ninth-ranked Blue Devils (4-0-1, 1-0-0) received goals from Ulfur Bjornsson and Ruben Mesalles to secure the win over the Cavaliers (3-2-0, 0-1-0). Freshman goalkeeper Julian Eyestone logged his second consecutive shutout, moving his clean sheet total to three in his young career.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke conceded an early corner kick but then grabbed the offensive momentum, taking four shots and earning two corner kicks over the next 10 minutes of play.
Ulfur Bjornsson opened the scoring in the 26th minute, firing home his second goal in as many games off a bouncing ball in the box.
The Blue Devils' defense held the Cavaliers to five shots in the first half, with two on goal being saved by Julian Eyestone.
Duke nearly got its second goal of the match within the first minute of the second half, as Forster Ajago fired a left-footed shot just wide of frame from 18 yards out.
The Blue Devils did eventually extend their lead, in the 61st minute, as Ruben Mesalles put home his second goal of the season. The goal was assisted by Bjornsson, who flicked the ball forward with his back to the goal. Mesalles, a junior midfielder, first looked to cross the ball but eventually found himself with an angle to blast home a left-footed shot.
Having extended the lead, Duke turned its focus to maintaining the winning margin, but still continued to find scoring opportunities. Bjornsson took two shots in the final 13 minutes, but the freshman was unable to secure his brace.

NOTES

Duke has now gone unbeaten in 11 consecutive ACC matches and 23 consecutive regular season matches, stretching back to the 2021 season.
Duke's record moves to 3-0-0 in 2023 when it scores first.
In its last 10 ACC matches at Koskinen Stadium, Duke is 7-1-2 (.800).
The Blue Devils out-shot the Cavaliers, 11-5, and held Virginia without a shot in the second 45 minutes of play.
Ulfur Bjornsson has now scored in two straight matches, with both goals eventually turning into the game-winning goal.
Bjornsson finished with three total points after his assist, a new career high.
Ruben Mesalles scored his second goal of the season and now has five in his career.
The shutout by Julian Eyestone is the second straight for the freshman goalkeeper and third overall. He made two total saves, moving his season total to 11.

QUOTES

"It was a big win for us. Opening night in the ACC. Getting another shutout. And playing well for good portions of the game. Obviously, it's early in the season for the ACC schedule and we have picked a few things that we need to work on, but overall, really happy." – head coach John Kerr on Duke's overall effort against Virginia
"He's a guy that can defend and does well with their wide players, defensively. Won a lot of headers too, corners kicks against, long throws, etc. But his composure going forward and his distribution with that left foot of his is really top notch. And he proved tonight that he has a lot of composure on that goal. And to recognize the goalkeeper was [looking] for the cross and he was able to place it past him was very impressive." – head coach John Kerr on the play of Ruben Mesalles
"It was great by the team. It was a tough game, but we showed up to it and we got good goals, took our chances and closed them out. … The group we have here is amazing. The group of guys are very welcoming, especially with being a foreigner coming into the group, me and all the freshmen. It took a little bit of time to adjust but I think it's all coming along." – Duke freshman Ulfur Bjornsson

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils return to action Friday, Sept. 15, at Clemson. The match, played at Historic Riggs Field in Clemson, S.C., is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., with fans able to watch on ACCNX.

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

#GoDuke