WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Freshman midfielder Ruben Mesalles scored two goals, including the eventual game-winner in the 73rd minute, as Duke surged past UNCW to claim a 4-2 victory in an exhibition men's soccer contest at the UNCW Soccer Stadium on Saturday evening.
 
Making their exhibition debut, the Seahawks got off to a fast start in the 13th minute when junior forward Cannon Tootle knocked in a rebound of a shot by graduate student forward Nicolas Molina for a 1-0 lead.
 
The Blue Devils evened the score at 1-1 just over six minutes later. After a bad UNCW clear was corralled by sophomore forward Thorleifur Ulfarsson, he found freshman midfielder Felix Barajas on the far side of the penalty area. Barajas' attempt from a sharp angle snuck inside the top right corner past junior goalkeeper Gabriel Perrotta to get Duke on the scoreboard.
 
Mesalles netted an unassisted marker in the 35th minute to give Duke a 2-1 advantage, but graduate student forward Jacob Evans tied the game 23 seconds later when he converted a penalty kick after junior forward Jalen Anderson was taken down in the penalty area.
 
Mesalles reclaimed Duke's one-goal lead with 17:18 left in regulation when he converted a pass from sophomore forward Krew Verratti before junior forward Scotty Taylor added an insurance goal in the 83rd minute off an assist from senior defender Ian Murphy.
 
Perrotta and sophomore Haruki Yamashita split time in goal for the Seahawks. Perrotta posted four saves in the first half before Yamashita finished the game by making one save in 45 minutes.
 
Sophomore JT Harms and freshman Grant Farley also split time for Duke, combining to make one save as the Blue Devils outshot UNCW, 10-5.
 
The Seahawks will finish their exhibition slate on Saturday, Aug. 21, when they visit former Colonial Athletic Association rival Old Dominion for a 6 p.m. contest. Duke, meanwhile, completes its exhibition slate on Tuesday, Aug. 17, at High Point.
 

Scoring Summary	1	2	F
Duke	2	2	4
UNCW	2	0	2

 
UNCW - Cannon Tootle (Nicolas Molina) 13'
DUKE - Felix Barajas (Thorleifur Ulfarsson) 19'
DUKE - Ruben Mesalles 35'
UNCW - Jacob Evans (penalty kick) 36'
DUKE - Ruben Mesalles (Krew Verratti) 73'
DUKE - Scotty Taylor (Ian Murphy) 83'
 
Stats Summary: Duke / UNCW
Shots: 10 / 5
Shots on Goal: 9 / 3
Saves: 1 / 5
Corner Kicks: 11 / 6
Fouls: 16 / 11
Offside: 0 / 2

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