First there were the Cameron Crazies. Then came the Wade Wackos. Now how about the Duke Soccer Stadium Screamers?
OK, maybe not. But men's head soccer coach John Rennie is hoping that fans turn out by the droves this Saturday at 1 p.m. for the Blue Devils' NCAA quarterfinal match against James Madison.
The team earned the home match by knocking off third-seeded South Carolina on the road. Now it will get a chance to beat the Dukes, the same team that took Duke out of last year's NCAA tourney.
Duke has already reaped the benefits of a strong home crowd this year. The first time was on Sept. 10 against then-No. 2 UCLA, when the Blue Devils came back from a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3. Then, with over 4,000 noisy fans packed the bleachers of Duke Soccer Stadium on Oct. 22, Duke scored two goals in the final two minutes of overtime against top-ranked Virginia to earn a 3-3 tie.
"I think the home-field advantage will be important as long as we get a good crowd with lots of students," Rennie said. "The biggest advantage of playing at home is related to the crowd."
Duke is hoping that its top play this weekend will make the crowd a large part of the contest. And with the way the team has been playing, soccer fans should have plenty to cheer about come Saturday.
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