Stone's Duke Team Inducted into N.C. Soccer Hall of Fame

DURHAM, N.C. – Texas Tech Soccer head coach Tom Stone and his 1986 National Championship Duke men's soccer team were inducted into the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame in a ceremony Saturday evening. They were also recognized at halftime of the Duke men's basketball game versus Georgia Tech.

Stone, a junior when Duke won the championship, scored the lone goal of the game to bring Duke its first-ever team national title in any sport.

After being named an All-American in high school, Stone played for Duke from 1984-1987. He was a three-time First Team All-ACC selection, picking up the honors his freshman, junior and senior seasons. Stone's breakout year came in 1986 as a junior when he tallied 16 goals – the second-most in a season in program history. He also assisted on four goals to bring his points total to 36, the ninth-most in program history.

Duke's national title run began with wins over South Carolina and NC State to reach the quarterfinals. Stone was instrumental in helping the team reach the finals, notching the game-winning goal in a quarterfinal win over Loyola Baltimore, as well as the final goal in a 3-1 win over Harvard in the semi-finals. He also tallied four five assists.

On Dec. 13, 1986, in Tacoma, Washington, Stone and the rest of the 10^th-ranked Blue Devils were set to face the 12^th-ranked Akron Zips. It was the first time they had made the title match since 1982, when the team lost in eight overtimes, 2-1. The game would be played on Superturf, something neither team had experienced before.

After a back-and-forth first half, Stone tallied the game-winner, going bar-down on a pass from teammate Joey Valenti just 1:34 into the second half. The score was his fourth of the tournament, making him the leading scorer. He was named the title game's Most Valuable Offensive Player and would go on to finish his career as a Blue Devil with 98 points, placing him 10^thin program history.

Stone's Duke Team Inducted into N.C. Soccer Hall of Fame

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