Nov. 5, 2006

ACC Photo Gallery

BOYDS, Md. - Sophomore forward Mike Grella sent a blast from 35 yards to the bottom left corner of the net with 3:27 remaining in the first overtime period to break a scoreless tie and propel the Blue Devils (16-3-1) to their second consecutive ACC Tournament Championship over No. 1 Wake Forest (15-3-3). The goal was Grella's 11th of the season, which leads the team and ranks third among ACC players.

Grella also won the ACC Championship for the Blue Devils last year. In that 2005 championship match, he netted the game-winning penalty kick in the sudden death portion of the shootout.

The ball was locked in the midfield for the majority of the first half, with neither offense able to gain an advantage. Wake Forest outshot the Blue Devils, 7-4, and held a 3-1 advantage on shots on goal. The Blue Devils took three corner kicks to two for the Demon Deacons in the first half.

Duke did not attempt a shot until 10 minutes into the game when Spencer Wadsworth sent a ball from 25 yards that was blocked out of bounds by a Wake Forest defender. Wadsworth went down with an injury in the 21st minute and did not return to the game.

Wake Forest's Zack Schilawski had one of the best scoring opportunities of the half on a sliding kick from 6 yards off a Demon Deacon corner kick, but goalkeeper Justin Papadakis was there for the save.

Zach Pope found himself with the ball and an open net in the 37th minute after Wake Forest keeper Brian Edwards left the goal box to play a loose ball which Mike Grella gathered and passed to Pope, but his shot from the top right corner of the 18-yard box flew over the crossbar.

With just under two minutes remaining in the first half, Pavelid Casteneda gathered the ball off a Duke corner kick and send a shot toward the top left corner of the net, but a defender got just enough of the ball to send it wide. On the following corner kick, Pope received the ball on the right side of the box with no one between himself and Edwards and sent a rocket just inches over the crossbar.

Duke came out firing in the second half, with Germanese taking a shot just 20 seconds into the second frame. His laser from 20 yards out was on goal, but Edwards made the save. Two minutes later, Michael Videira sent a shot from the top of the 18-yard box which just missed the top left corner of the net. In the 49th minute, Pope put a header on goal but once again Edwards was there for the stop.

In the 68th minute, Wake Forest's Marcus Tracy received a cross on the right side of the net on the baseline and made a move toward goal before Tim Jepson made a sliding tackle to knock the ball over out of bounds. The ensuing corner kick was nearly headed in by a Duke defender before Graham Dugoni cleared the ball off the goal line.

A foul by Tim Jepson with just under eight minutes left in the second half gave Wake Forest a free kick from the top of the 18-yard box, but Wake Forest's Pat Phelan sent two consecutive shots - the first two of the second half for the Demon Deacons - into the Duke wall. The shots ended a span of 40:30 minutes for Wake Forest without a shot. Two minutes later, Tracy headed a Wake Forest corner kick over the crossbar.

Regulation ended with no score and each team managed just one shot in the first 6:33 minutes of overtime before Grella scored his fifth game-winning goal of the season.

The game was even statistically, with Wake Forest holding a 12-11 advantage on shots, but Duke putting six shots on goal to three by Demon Deacons. Wake Forest took six corner kicks while Duke tallied five.

The NCAA Tournament Selection show will be televised on ESPNNews between 4 and 5 p.m. on Monday, November 6.

All-Tournament Team
Michael Videira
Tim Jepson
Joe Germanese
Spencer Wadsworth
Patrick Nyarko
Ronnie Bouemboue
Wells Thompson
Sam Cronin
Brian Edwards
Yannick Reyering
Graham Zusi

Tournament MVP
Michael Videira

Duke head coach John Rennie:
"In this league, (winning the championship) is an honor. The caliber of teams and the quality of facilities makes this a tremendous tournament. It's just an honor to win it."

On playing in overtime:
"It becomes a mental thing. We were just trying to keep possession and keep our concentration. We really wanted to score in the first overtime period."

On Grella's goal:
"He just kept going and all of a sudden, he thought he had a clear shot. That's what a great player does."

Sophomore forward Mike Grella:
"(Winning the championship) is big. I don't know how many teams have ever won it twice in a row. We have a really special group of guys and it was a group effort."

On his goal:
"I found a little space and had a crack at it. The win gives us a lot of momentum. We have a lot of confidence now going into the NCAA Tournament."

Wake Forest Head Coach Jay Vidovich
On your overall thoughts on the loss...
"This is just another example of a great ACC (men's soccer) Championship. We were very excited and honored to be a part of today's championship. In the first half, we did a lot of great things and even with the sun in our eyes and Duke pressing. We did a great job of keeping a high level of intensity and I was very proud of the guys."

On Duke's final goal...
"The last minute or two in regulation I thought we looked really good. We had a fantastic start of overtime and Duke countered. That was a great goal and I think it actually surprised everyone."

On your team's performance...
"I am really pleased with our team's balance. Everyone seems to step up at different times. We are working with a very young team and Duke showed today that they had more championship experience. Our roster is freshmen and sophomore dominance and I'm hoping that throughout this tournament and today's game that we continue to grow."