Upcoming Event: Men's Soccer at Clemson on October 17, 2025 at 8 p.m.
/
8 p.m.
Men's Soccer
at Clemson
Friday, September 4
Durham, N.C.
7:30 p.m.
Duke University
2
vs
1
Columbia
Thomas and Finley Score First Career Goals to Lead Duke
9/4/2009 11:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer
DURHAM, N.C.-A pair of Blue Devils tallied their first career goals to lead the Duke men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over Columbia in the first day of the Duke/Nike Classic this evening at Koskinen Stadium. Duke improves to 2-0-0 on the season.
Knotted at one after the opening 45 minutes, the Blue Devils came out in the second half looking for an early go-ahead goal. Just 12 minutes into the frame, junior Cole Grossman fired a shot at goal, but had it blocked by a fellow Blue Devil. Freshman Ryan Finley was right there on the doorstep to clean up and slip the ball into the net for what proved to be the game-winner in the 58th minute.
After Duke just missed on some early scoring opportunities in the first half, Columbia (0-1-0) came down the field and took advantage of a breakdown in the Blue Devils' defense. The ball got deep into Duke's defensive third and a scrum for the ball ensued in the penalty area where Bayo Adafin knocked home a rebound to make it a 1-0 Lion lead in the 16th minute.
"I thought we caught a [tough] break in the first portion of the game and we didn't recover quick enough," head coach John Kerr said. "They caught us on a break and they scored and they deserved that goal. Then they made life difficult for us."
Despite falling behind, the Blue Devils regrouped and evened the score 12 minutes later off of a set piece. Duke earned a corner-kick at the 27-minute mark. Christopher Tweed-Kent stepped up on the right side and served a perfect ball to the edge of the 12-yard box. Senior defender Matthew Thomas went up and headed it past Lion keeper Alexander Arruchio for his first career score.
"That goal from Matt Thomas was a big boost for us," Kerr said. "That made us solid going into halftime. [Getting a goal on a set piece] helps the guys recognize that when we put guys in the box and make your runs, you will benefit from all the pressure you put on the other team."
Duke wasted little time in getting its offense going in the second half. Similar to what they did in the season opener against James Madison and in their preseason games, the Blue Devils controlled much of the run of play in the second half.
"At the half we went in with instructions to bring the ball forward quicker and be a little more direct," Kerr said. "Scoring that goal pretty early in the second half really helped our confidence."
After taking the 2-1 lead, Duke had numerous other quality scoring chances. Finley struck a shot from the top of the penalty area, but was denied by the far post. The Blue Devils generated more good opportunities right on the doorstep, but Arruchio and the Lion defense was there to keep the team within one.
The Blue Devil defense stayed strong in the final 30 minutes to keep Duke unbeaten on the year. Duke held a 17-11 advantage in shots for the game, including a 9-4 edge in the second half. The Lions won the corner kick battle 8-6.
Junior goaltender Nick Tsipis earned the win with two stops, while Arruchio finished with six.
Duke takes on Denver in the final game of the Duke/Nike Classic on Sept. 6 at 2:30 p.m.
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Players Mentioned
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