North Carolina
No. 11 Duke men’s soccer scores early but succumbs to North Carolina comeback as Kerr sees red
CHAPEL HILL— Casinos are rare in North Carolina. But you would not have known that with the way cards were being dealt out in No. 11 Duke’s Sunday afternoon game against the Tar Heels.
The two squads racked up a combined 11 bookings in a nasty, physical game that saw North Carolina barely escape with a 2-1 win despite going down to 10 men with just under 25 minutes remaining. The chaotic matchup saw a total of 36 fouls called, including the ejection of Duke head coach John Kerr in the 33rd minute.
The Blue Devils (5-2-1, 1-2 in the ACC) opened the scoring against the run of play 11 minutes into the game, when a pass from senior midfielder Nick Pariano intended for graduate transfer forward Forster Ajago took a deflection towards the goal. Ajago capitalized, beating out the Tar Heel defender and goalkeeper to slip the ball into the back of the open net.
While Duke struck first, the Tar Heels (4-0-3, 1-0-2) equalized quickly. Just over four minutes later, North Carolina midfielder Andrew Czech found the ball at his feet at the edge of the penalty area. Freshman goalkeeper Julian Eyestone had no chance. The ball was perfectly placed in the opposite corner, well past Eyestone’s outstretched arms to even the score.
From there, the barrage continued. The Tar Heels finally managed to claw ahead in the 31st minute, when Pariano made a brutal unforced error, giving up the ball to graduate forward Quenzi Huerman right outside the 18-yard box. Huerman made quick work of the opportunity, punching it home. Once again, Eyestone never even had a chance.
As the game went on, the physicality saw a sharp uptick. It boiled over in the 32nd minute, when sophomore midfielder Wayne Frederick was called for a foul near the halfway line. Frederick was assessed a yellow card, much to the disdain of Kerr. Kerr was given a booking to match Frederick’s for arguing, and then racked up a second yellow and subsequent ejection after also taking issue with his own card.
From there, it only got more and more tense. With a minute left in the first period, some contact escalated into pushing and shoving. The two teams exited the field as time ran out, totalling 18 fouls in the first half.
Whether it was Kerr’s ejection or the later infractions, the Blue Devils came out of halftime looking like a new team. Duke began knocking on the door early in the second period, as Ajago brought the ball down the sideline and crossed it in. Chaos ensued, but ultimately the result was just a slow dribbling shot that was easily handled by the North Carolina defense.
While the Blue Devils had several quality chances early in the half, Duke consistently came up just short of the goal. After several minutes of a barrage, the game settled down as the ball drifted into the midfield and the two teams traded unsuccessful attacks.
The visiting squad was once again revitalized 20 minutes into the second period, when Huerman picked up his second yellow card of the game on a poorly-timed tackle attempt. The Tar Heels were cut down to 10 men, and Duke did its best to take advantage.
From that point on, it was an almost non-stop barrage of shots and opportunities for the Blue Devils. The squad from Durham relied on its strong, speedy outside midfielders to move down the sidelines and create opportunities inside. Ajago stood tall as a constant offensive threat, attracting several Tar Heels wherever he went. His partner, freshman forward Ulfur Bjornsson, posed a similar problem.
Despite an unrelenting press in the final minutes of the game, Duke could not find the back of the net. More than once late in the game, sequences unfolded where the ball looked like it was en route to the goal only to be stopped by a leaping or sliding North Carolina player. Twice, the ball hit the crossbar. Ultimately however, the Tar Heels escaped with their lives.
To say this was a rough one would be an understatement. The amount of fouls was absurd, even for a rivalry game. Last year’s matchup saw 29 violations, compared to this year’s 36. Despite some very promising opportunities, the Blue Devils could not find the back of the net. Now, Duke will live with the consequences of playing in such a brutal game: Kerr will be forced to sit out the next game, and several players will be nursing minor injuries incurred as a result of the physical play.
The Blue Devils will have Tuesday evening’s game against Charleston to bounce back against a slightly weaker team, hoping to return to winning ways and recover from the grueling afternoon game. After that, the gauntlet continues as No. 7 Syracuse comes to town for a Friday night showdown.
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North Carolina
NC has some of the most dangerous roads in the US: See how Wilmington-area counties rank
With a recent study revealing North Carolina as one of the states with the riskiest roads to travel, some may wonder how safe the roads are here in the Cape Fear region.
MarketWatch Guides, a site that provides “reviews of consumer products and services to help readers make educated purchasing decisions,” focuses in part on car insurance comparisons, vehicle safety and more.
A recent study by the site analyzed factors including annual miles driven per 100,000 system miles, percentage of rough roads and fatal injuries per 100,000 licensed drivers. States were given a rating out of 10 points, with 10 being the most dangerous.
More: Distracted driving in Wilmington: How big of a problem is it?
North Carolina’s ranking among the most dangerous
According to the study, the states with the most dangerous drivers based on the factors studied are:
- Louisiana – 7.55/10
- California – 7.21/10
- New Mexico – 6.74/10
- Hawaii – 6.73/10
- Delaware – 6.67/10
- New Jersey – 6.53/10
- Mississippi – 6.47/10
- North Carolina – 6.39/10
- Massachusetts – 6.33/10
- Maryland and Texas – 6.26/10
According to the study, North Carolina had 32.5 fatal injuries per 100,000 licensed drivers, but only 2.1% of rough roads, which was the lowest percentage out of the other ranked states.
For a more localized perspective, the North Carolina Department of Transportation releases annual traffic crash facts data. The most recent 2022 report includes a ranking of counties based on several factors, including reported crashes, crash severity, crash rates based on population, registered vehicles and estimated vehicle miles traveled.
The most dangerous county for drivers, ranked at No. 1 for the past five years, was Robeson County. The county had 60 fatal crashes in 2022 with 1,136 non-fatal injury crashes. The rest of the total 4,056 crashes were property-damage-only. The county with the best ranking was Hyde County, coming in at No. 100. The county had one fatal crash in 2022 and 10 non-fatal injury crashes. The county had a total of 45 crashes, the rest of which were property damage only.
More: MyReporter: Which intersections see the most red-light camera violations in Wilmington?
Here’s where the Cape Fear region counties ranked.
Brunswick County
Ranked No. 76 in 2022, Brunswick County had 25 fatal crashes and 715 non-fatal injury crashes. The total crashes for that year were 3,146. The remainder of the crashes were property damage only.
New Hanover County
Ranked No. 58, New Hanover had 19 fatal crashes and 1,313 non-fatal injury crashes, both of which went down from 2021. The total crashes in New Hanover were 5,617. The remainder of the crashes were property damage only.
Pender County
Ranked No. 47, Pender County had the worst ranking despite having the lowest number of crashes. The county had 12 fatal crashes and 374 non-fatal injury crashes, and a total of 1,156 crashes. The rest of the crashes were property damage only.
Iris Seaton, USA Today Network, contributed to this report.
Tropical Storm Debby already has parts of Florida under tropical storm warnings. The Florida Big Bend is currently under a Hurricane Warning. Debby is forecast to briefly strengthen into a category 1 hurricane as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico where water temperatures are near 90 degrees.
As it continues its path over land it is expected to dial back to tropical storm strength as it reaches the Carolinas mid to late next week. Moderate rainfall is possible for northeast North Carolina and southern Virginia by the end of the week.
Higher amounts of rain are possible for southernmost portions of the Outer Banks but generally models show 2-4 inches for northeast North Carolina and 1-2 inches for southern Virginia through Thursday.
Stay with News 3’s First Warning Weather Team for the latest updates as the storm develops.
The National Hurricane Center continues to monitor a tropical depression over Cuba. It’s expected to become a tropical storm later Saturday, bringing impacts to the Carolinas around the middle of next week.
Heavy rainfall and flooding are the primary impacts expected, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
“Gusty winds are also possible, but it is too early to predict specific impacts in great detail at this time,” the weather service said.
At the same time, there is the potential for heavy rainfall and some flooding associated with front expected to stall inland this weekend.
As of 11 a.m. Saturday, the center of the tropical depression, which would be name Debby if it becomes a tropical storm, was over Cuba and moving west-northwest near 15 mph. The hurricane center said a turn toward the northwest is forecast for Saturday, followed by a northward motion on Sunday and then a slower northeastwardmotion Sunday night and Monday.
Maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph. Slow strengthening is expected throughout the day Saturday. Faster strengthening is possible Sunday, with the storm nearing hurricane strength when it reaches the Florida Gulf Coast, the hurricane center said.
STORM TRACKER: Monitor the latest tropical developments here.
Here’s a look at what we can expect in the Wilmington area, according to the latest briefing from the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
Wind
The probability of tropical storm force winds has increased, especially for the South Carolina coast. The most likely time of arrival of for northeast South Carolina is Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, and for Southeastern North Carolina is during Wednesday morning.
Rain
The potential for significant rainfall exists with 8 to 12 inches possible from near Cape Fear to portions of thenortheast South Carolina coast. Flash flooding and urban flooding are possible. Some rivers, including the North Cape Fear River and the Waccamaw River, could exceed flood stage next week.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Enter your address to see hurricanes, tropical storms that have passed nearby
Marine impacts
Rough surf, including dangerous rip currents, and hazardous marine conditions are expected this weekend and will persist into the upcoming week.
Are you prepared for a hurricane?
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Even if this system won’t pose a threat to the NC coast, it’s never too early to be prepared.
GET READY: Are you prepared for a hurricane? Here’s what to know if you live in the Wilmington area.
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