Following another deflating loss, the Blue Devils will take a one-game hiatus from conference play and look to build some much-needed confidence with their first win in October.
Duke will host Campbell at Koskinen Stadium Tuesday at 7 p.m. after allowing a game-winning goal in the 82nd minute Friday in a 2-1 loss against then-No. 8 North Carolina. Despite getting on the board first in the 64th minute, the Blue Devils allowed two unanswered goals and were held to just five shots in their sixth loss of the season.
Head coach John Kerr's team has now scored just nine goals in its last nine games and likely needs a miracle to make its first NCAA tournament since 2011 with just four games left in the regular season.
“We have to let our frustrations fester and get ready for Campbell,” Kerr said after Friday’s game. “This was a great performance, and we have to build on it and take care of business Tuesday.”
If the Blue Devils (4-6-2) plan on finishing the season with a winning record, they will have to take care of business against each of their two remaining nonconference opponents—Campbell Tuesday and Elon Oct. 25. Duke has lost each of its last two non conference games at home, a 3-1 setback to Davidson and a double-overtime loss to Georgia State, which notched its first-ever win against the Blue Devils.
Although Duke struggled to get many shots off against North Carolina, the Blue Devils have been one of the better ACC teams in terms of creating scoring opportunities. Despite averaging 12.9 shots per contest, Duke has converted on about 10 percent of those chances—a mark the Blue Devils will need to increase to get their offense going late in the season.
Fortunately for Duke, Campbell (5-6) is not a defensive powerhouse. The Fighting Camels have allowed opponents to score more than two goals per game, and juniors Cameron Moseley and Brian White will look to get the Blue Devil offense over the hump Tuesday evening. Both players lead Duke with four goals apiece this year, and Moseley put the Blue Devils ahead Friday with a timely header before the Tar Heels mounted their comeback.
But when Duke focuses on going forward, it cannot lose track of Campbell's offensive players like it did in a 3-1 loss to Davidson Oct. 4.
The Blue Devils have limited opponents to 11 shots per game and boast one of the ACC's best goalkeepers in graduate student Robert Moewes—who has 51 saves on the season—but will have to play a full 90 minutes to end their three-game losing streak.
Gabe Parrish leads the Fighting Camels with five goals this season, but no other Campbell player has more than three on the year. Duke can also take confidence in knowing it hung with one of the nation's best offenses in North Carolina for most of the game Friday evening.
“We knew that they were very strong in that department,” Kerr said about the Tar Heels’ offense Friday. “They certainly had some opportunities, but I thought we held our own.”
The Fighting Camels convert on almost 17 percent of their shots but only generate 9.9 per game, meaning Campbell will have to capitalize on its opportunities to get past Moewes and pull the upset in its first game against a Power-5 opponent this season.
After letting Davidson and Georgia State celebrate on their home field, the Blue Devils hope Tuesday can bring some good fortune in what has been a disappointing campaign since a 2-0-1 start to the year.
“We’ve just got to treat it like any other game,” junior defender Carter Manley said after Friday's game. “We can’t go in underestimating them. We’ve got to go in, put the work in and get the job done.”
Mitchell Gladstone contributed reporting.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113. Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.