Goals from Kerr and Hot Push Duke Past North Carolina, 2-0

Friday, October 31

Chapel Hill, NC

8 p.m.

Duke University

8-2-6, 4-2-2

North Carolina

8-4-4, 2-2-4

Duke

North Carolina

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Goals from Kerr and Hot Push Duke Past North Carolina, 2-0

10/31/2025 11:24:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Duke men's soccer team scored a goal in each half to earn a 2-0 victory over rival North Carolina in the regular season finale Friday night at Dorrance Field.

Kenan Hot and Drew Kerr tallied the goals for the Blue Devils as Duke clinched a home game in the first round of the ACC Championship. Duke caps its regular season with an 8-2-6 overall record and 4-2-2 mark in ACC play. North Carolina drops to 8-4-4 and 2-2-4.

How it Happened

Most of the action in the opening 45 minutes was played in the middle of the field with Duke having the better scoring opportunities. Trevor Burns nearly put the Blue Devils up in the 33rd minute as his shot hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced out.
Duke continued to pressure the Tar Heels and finally broke through with a fantastic finish off the foot of Hot. The action started with a ball from Aleksandar Vukovic in behind the North Carolina defense. A failed clearance out of the box by the Tar Heels put the ball on the foot of Hot 25 yards from goal. Hot found Alessandro Arlotti on top of the 18-yard box for the give and go, expertly receiving the return pass and juking a pair of North Carolina defenders for the 1-0 lead.
The Blue Devils held a 4-1 advantage in shots in the first half with the lone shot from North Carolina coming off a corner kick.
The Tar Heels had their best opportunity of the night in the opening 10 minutes as the ball bounced around the penalty area after a long throw-in from the left touchline. Duke goalkeeper Eryk Dymora stood his ground, denying Gabriel Serra's shot in the six-yard box.
Duke continued to frustrate the Tar Heels offense, denying North Carolina much space to work in its final third.
With North Carolina stifling the Blue Devils attack, the Tar Heels nearly equalized in the 81st minute on a set piece, but Jack Sandmeyer's header was straight at Dymora.
Drew Kerr iced the victory for the Blue Devils in the 85th minute, bending a free kick from 25 yards out inside the right post.
Dymora posted the clean sheet with two saves while North Carolina keeper Andrew Cordes had one stop. Duke outshot North Carolina 10-7 for the game.

Notes

Duke improves to 3-9-1 in the past 13 meetings with the Tar Heels, earning its first win over the rival since 2019. The Blue Devils are 38-52-11 all-time against North Carolina.
Kenan Hot's goal ended Duke's scoreless streak at 433:10 – dating back to the Elon match Oct. 7. The Blue Devils had not scored a goal in their previous four games, matching the longest stretch in program history, when Duke went without a goal across four straight games during the 1940 season.
Duke's two goals mark the first time since Oct. 3 Duke has scored multiple goals in a game.
Eryk Dymora collected his seventh shutout this season. The clean sheet was Duke's nine of the campaign and the fifth time this year North Carolina has been shut out.

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