No. 14 Duke Ties No. 2 UConn 1-1 in Final Exhibition Match

Saturday, August 19

Durham, N.C.

7 p.m.

Duke University

Connecticut- Exhibition

No. 14 Duke Ties No. 2 UConn 1-1 in Final Exhibition Match

8/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. - The 14th-ranked Duke men's soccer concluded its preseason with a 1-1 tie against No. 2 Connecticut on Saturday at Koskinen Stadium.

Despite giving up a goal midway through the first half, the Blue Devils controlled the game with an 8-2 advantage in shots for each half and a 16-4 advantage for the game. Duke also recorded an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks for the contest.

"It was a great way to finish up the preseason," said Head Coach John Rennie. "It was like a NCAA quarterfinal or semifinal game with two really good teams and an even result. We got better as the game went on. In the first 15 minutes, neither team was sharp and there was a lot of defensive pressure out there. We settled down and played the ball on the ground more. We basically did everything we wanted to except score. We were able to come from a goal down and tie it up so I was very happy with everybody that played."

The Huskies' goal came in the 19th minute when O'Brian White found Mike Pezza for the first goal of the game. UConn's lead would stand until the 50th minute when Kyle Helton connected for a goal. The senior captain had a give-and-go run from midfield with Tomek Charowski and was able to find his way to the middle of the field with open space. He took a shot that was deflected but still managed to find its way to the back of the net. The game finished in the 1-1 tie with both defenses playing strong down the stretch.

"I am very happy with the defensive effort," said Rennie. "We are trying to be a better defensive team and not just our defenders. Right now we are doing that and we only gave up one goal against three very good teams this preseason."

At the end of regulation the two head coaches agreed to have a shootout with each team taking five penalty kicks. UConn took a 4-3 lead into the final round but Justin Papadakis made a save for Duke to force sudden death. Each team converted their sixth kick and after the Huskies took a 6-5 lead, the Blue Devils' final attempt hit the crossbar to end the shootout.

The Blue Devils went 1-0-2 in the preseason with a 3-0 win at No. 21 UNC Greensboro and ties against both Coastal Carolina and UConn. Throughout the preseason, the coaches and players praised the effort on the defensive side of the ball.

"Our defense has a lot of experience now," said Helton. "We should have a strong season this year, especially with the leadership we have on the field. The best season we have had was when we went to the Final Four and now those guys are juniors. We also added a transfer and some younger guys who are all contributing so it should be a good year."

Duke will open the regular season next weekend with two home games. They will host Hartford on Friday night at 5 p.m. followed by a contest against St. Francis at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.