The GW men’s soccer team’s 3-1 loss to North Carolina State University was its second loss against a top-ranked opponent in the Duke/ Adidas Classic in Durham, N.C. Freshman goalie Derek Biss recorded 23 saves in his collegiate starting debut, including 15 in Friday’s heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to Duke University.

Not a regular starter, Biss saved his team from a possible blowout with eight saves in his 90 minutes of play. Biss usually backs up sophomore goalkeeper Eric Lund.

The Colonials (2-2) fought to stay alive, but fell behind early after the Wolfpack’s first goal on a penalty kick by North Carolina’s Michael Karim 16 minutes into the first half.

They would fall further behind before the half ended, when N.C. State made it 2-0 with 18 seconds remaining in the half. Kyle Fragakis put back a rebound off Biss’ save, assisted by teammate Aaron King.

GW did not score until 25 minutes into the second half when senior forward Matt Osborne netted GW’s only goal.

Osborne took the shot after a cross from classmate Michael Goldman and placed it in back of the net.

GW kept the Wolfpack at bay for most of the second half, but could not convert any opportunities to take the lead. N.C. State did, however, sinking another shot before time ran out. A Bryant Salter goal with one minute remaining put the Colonials even further behind. He took a cross from the left from teammate Aaron King to make the final score 3-1.

“(N.C. State) capitalized on their chances while we were unable to,” freshman Matt Miller said of the “hard-fought game.”

While the Colonials outshot their opponent 12-11, they were unable to take effective shots against N.C. State’s goalie.

Friday’s 2-1 loss against top-ranked Duke turned into a battle of endurance as each team scored one goal apiece in regulation time. The 1-1 deadlock continued for 109 minutes until Duke finally broke down the Colonials’ defense with 11 seconds left in double overtime.

Duke defenseman Matt Ahumada beamed a shot into the left corner of the net to win a match for the Blue Devils that surely looked as if it would end in a tie. Biss was peppered with 40 shots and credited with 15 saves in his first start in net for the Colonials.

The Blue Devils took advantage of a GW foul by Kirk Lewis when Duke junior Jordan Cila converted a penalty kick at the 17:31 mark to give the Blue Devils an early 1-0 lead.

Junior forward Arnar Johannsson tied it up in the 36th minute when he knocked in the rebound of Senior Mike Goldman’s shot. It was Johannsson’s sixth goal of the season after he scored five last weekend at the D.C. College Cup.

The two teams remained in a stalwart during the rest of regulation and during one overtime period. The Colonial defense was solid, despite playing a man down after Lewis received his second yellow card at 73:03.

The loss was GW’s first of the season after posting back-to-back wins against Howard and Georgetown last week. The team will return to D.C. for its first home match next Sunday against St. Francis University.