DURHAM, N.C.—Duke University senior captain Zach Mathers' early second-half goal proved to be enough for the Blue Devils in a 1-0 shutout victory over DePaul to wrap up the 2015 John Rennie Nike Invitational. Duke finished 2-0 on the weekend, but was edged out by Elon by goal differential for the tournament crown.
Mathers, Jeremy Ebobisse and Markus Fjørtoft all were named to the all-tournament team as the Blue Devils got off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2009.
“A win's a win,” said head coach John Kerr. “We need to keep getting these wins on our ledger and keep moving forward. There is room for improvement and we all understand that. It's early in the season and we have a long way to go. We're happy to be 2-0.”
Duke, while it had the advantage in time of possession in the opening half, struggled to get into an offensive rhythm. Mathers had the best chance for the Blue Devils in the 13th minute, using nifty footwork to beat three DePaul defenders inside the penalty area before rifling at shot at DePaul goalie Quentin Low.
The Blue Devils outshot the Blue Demons 6-2 in the opening period with just two going on frame. Defensively, Duke was stout in allowing DePaul only two shots and none on goal.
After a hard-fought first half, Duke picked up its pace of play from the opening whistle of the second half. Nearly identical to his excellent scoring chance in the first half, Mathers juked a couple defenders just inside the 18-yard box and slid a left footed shot just inside the left post for the 1-0 lead just 44 seconds into the stanza.
“I found myself a little pocket of space,” said Mathers. “I took that space and had a little fake and they fell for it and took another step and had a shot. I think it [nutmegged] the guy when it went in, but sometimes all you need to do is take a shot to get a result.”
Mathers continued to give the DePaul defense fits, but Duke was unable to capitalize over the next 44 minutes. The Blue Demons, needing just one goal to even the score, started to gain momentum midway through after withstanding Duke's early pressure.
Despite gaining more possession, the Blue Demons never looked really dangerous as Duke's back four anchored by goalkeeper Wilson Fisher remained calm to record the first clean sheet of the year.
“Our defensive effort was solid tonight,” Kerr said. “We didn't give them too many opportunities so I'm pleased overall, but I know we can play better. I think offensively defenders can get the ball off their foot a little bit quicker. I thought in the second half we picked that part of the game up.”
The Blue Devils outshot DePaul 11-8 for the game and allowed just two shots on goal. Fisher finished with two saves for his second career shutout.
Duke returns to action Saturday, Sept. 5 at home versus Iona at 7 p.m.
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