No. 19 Blue Devils Down No. 6 Virginia Tech, 1-0

Saturday, September 11

Durham, N.C.

7 P.M.

Duke University

4-1-0, 1-0-0

Virginia Tech

2-1-2, 0-1-0

Virginia Tech

Duke

Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 19 Blue Devils Down No. 6 Virginia Tech, 1-0

9/11/2021 11:35:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score BOX SCORE (PDF)Photo Gallery

DURHAM – The Duke men's soccer program (4-1-0) scored a marquee win as the team opened ACC play by defeating No. 6 Virginia Tech (2-1-2), 1-0 at Koskinen Stadium on Saturday night.

The win is the first by the Blue Devils against a ranked opponent since beating No. 14 North Carolina on Sep. 27, 2019, and the first top-10 win since beating No. 9 Notre Dame on Oct. 12, 2018.

Sophomore Thorleifur Ulfarsson scored the lone goal for Duke, burying a penalty kick in the 35th minute. The Blue Devils registered 19 shots and nine shots on goal, while the Hokies notched 11 shots and five on goal. Senior Eliot Hamill added his third shutout of the season on five saves, recording his fourth in the last five games dating back to last season.

"Going into every game, our goal is to win the game, number one, and the second thing is to get a clean sheet, a shutout, which we did," said Head Coach John Kerr. "One goal only given up in five games is pretty impressive and that's been a sticking point for us to get results."

The Hokies were able to generate the first chance of the game, as Declan Quill got free in the box in the 27th minute. Quill ripped a shot that rang of the left-hand post past the hand of Hamill. The Hokies maintained the pressure and created another opportunity in the 30th minute, but Hamill made a more comfortable save.

Just five minutes later, Ulfarsson made a run into the Virginia Tech box, drawing a collision with the Hokies' Sivert Haugli and earning a penalty kick via a yellow card on Haugli.

The Kopavogur, Iceland native calmly stepped into the box and tucked his shot into the bottom left corner, for his first goal of the season. The Blue Devils remained perfect from the spot, converting both opportunities this season.

With the goal, Ulfarsson now has five goals in his last four collegiate games, dating back to the 2020-21 season. Ulfarsson picked up right where he left off from the preseason, where he recorded five points in four games.

While Hamill remained firm in net during the second half with two key saves, the Duke offense continued to put pressure on the Hokies. Sophomore Miguel Ramirez had multiple strong chances in the 57th and 58th minutes, but Virginia Tech goalkeeper Ben Martino made a couple of strong saves.

Ulfarsson had an opportunity for a second goal in the 77th minute, receiving a ball deep inside the box following sophomore Peter Stroud regaining possession. Stroud fed the ball to a wide open Ulfarsson, who fired a shot on a pressing Martino, but the Hokies goalkeeper made a sliding kick save to keep the Duke lead at one.

The Hokies had few remaining chances the rest of the game and a late 89th minute chance was blocked to secure the win. The Blue Devils stepped up the offensive pressure, recording 12 of the 19 shots in the second half.

Next up for the Blue Devils is a two-game road swing, beginning with a battle against No. 4 North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. The Blue Devils will be back home in Koskinen on Tuesday, Sept. 28 against Howard.

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

#GoDuke