Old Gold and Black Reporter
The men's soccer team closed out its season with a 3-1 loss to Duke in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
The Deacons finished the season 11-9-1 and 2-5 in the ACC and were ranked sixth in the South Region.
Included in the Deacons' win total was the team's second win ever over North Carolina, its first since 1982. The team notched a road victory over No. 4 South Carolina as well.
"We took a lot of steps in the right direction," Deacon Head Coach Jay Vidovich said. "I'm happy with the fact that we're playing a better level and quality of soccer. That makes it more attractive to watch.
"I'm also happy that we were able to get big wins against ranked teams. Last year, our record was about the same, but we had only one big win."
The Deacons fell to Duke for the second time this season in the ACC Tourney.
Freshman Kyle Bachmeier's second goal of the year gave the Deacons a 1-0 halftime lead despite the fact that the Devils outshot the Deacons 12-2.
"They (Duke) had chances in the first half," Vidovich said. "In the second half we played better, but they won the game. But in this game, they had to earn their goals."
Duke scored three unanswered goals in the second half, led by Brian Kelly, who had two goals and an assist.
The Deacons now look forward to next season, and have a strong nucleus returning.
Senior forwards Erik Brandsma and Ryan Scott and defender Mike Petry are the key departures from this year's squad.
"I was happy with Brandsma's performance," Vidovich said. "He was able to play every match. Sometimes he had defensive tasks while other times he was looked at to score goals, and his dedication to the team was certainly obvious."
Brandsma leaves the Deacons with 10 career goals, including three this season, and 15 assists, six this season.
Scott led the Deacons in scoring as a junior and had four goals and an assist this season before breaking his wrist against North Carolina.
"Scott will definitely be missed," Vidovich said. "He is a great attacking forward. He had bad luck in his senior year, but we will definitely miss him."
Petry was hampered by injuries throughout his senior year, but was a key contributor at midfield and defender.
"He had a nightmare of a senior season," Vidovich said. "He started injured, was starting to get into a rhythm of play, and then got injured again."
The good news for the Deacons is that several players are expected to take advantage of redshirt eligibility and return for a fifth year.
Senior defender Mark Young may return next season while pursuing a double major, and senior Aaron Budzinski may come back after missing the entire season due to a broken leg suffered last season.
Another possible returnee is senior goalie Tim Woods, who started the second half of the season for the Deacons.
Two Deacons were honored by conference coaches. Freshman Serge Daniv and junior Josh Timbers were named to the second-team All-ACC squad.
Vidovich said that he is excited about the returning players next year He added that he hopes to bring in six players in next season's recruiting class.
"We have a foundation set with players showing maturity," Vidovich said. "And our youth got some big games under their belts. With the addition of new players, we're ready for a good season next year."