Box Score Durham, N.C.- Wofford men's soccer was tasked with containing the number two scoring offense in the country on the road and rose to the occasion- using a late goal from sophomore Forward Nikolai Rojel to ensure a 2-2 draw against third ranked Duke on Thursday, August 31.

The Blue Devil offense flexed their prowess early but was turned away by a sliding Magnus Kjoller in the 7th minute and then successfully defended the ensuing corner to prevent an early deficit. Duke walked away empty-handed trip after trip in the attacking half before the conceding the opening goal to Rojel in the 32nd minute off a brilliant sequence of offense beginning with freshman Fabian Menendez finding junior Kameron Gorst on a through ball down the right side of the pitch. Gorst then crossed the ball across the box to an in-stride Rojel who rifled the ball past the keeper and put the Terriers on top 1-0 going into the break.

The goal was the tenth of the Danish forward's career at Wofford and his first of the season and the reigning Southern Conference Freshman of the Year wasn't done.

Coming out of the break, Wofford's defense faced a renewed attack from Duke and continued to stymie the opposition. A flurry of shots from the Blue Devils in the first ten minutes of the half were either blocked or forced off target. The one shot to find its way to senior goalkeeper Cameron Victor was saved and the Terriers maintained their 1-0 lead.

Neither team could find a clean shot on goal until the 72nd minute when Duke's Forster Ajago tallied the equalizer and the go-ahead mere minutes later in the 76th minute.

"I think after a couple of minutes, the team goes, "bounce back," and look at each other's eyes and see we can really do this, this is actually in front of us, we can do it," Rojel said of the team's mentality after giving up the lead.

And in the 82nd minute, Rojel found the back of the net again and notched his third multi-goal game of his career in the game's final shot of the game.
The tie is the best result against a ranked opponent since defeating then #24 Furman in 2014 and the best result in team history (since moving to D-I in 1995) against a top five opponent.

"Obviously, nationally ranked and you're playing at their place so there's a lot of things around it that come into the game. But to be up a goal and then give away two, be down a goal late and fight to get another one back and then hold on- just proud of the effort and the resiliency of the group tonight," Tyson said of his team's effort.

With the Terriers off for the weekend, the team won't take the pitch again until Tuesday, September 5, on the road against Georgia State in a rematch of last season's 2-0 loss in Spartanburg. Kickoff for that match is slated for 7 PM.