Many Duke athletes will be facing an opponent this weekend that's short, slow, and clunky: the Maryland Terrapin.
The field hockey, volleyball, and women's soccer teams will all travel to College Park, Md., to play, while the football team will take on the Terrapins at home.
A situation where two Duke teams play at the same time away at another school is unusual, let alone three teams.
"The only time I know of that we've ever played anyone at the same place [that another Duke team was playing] was last year at Maryland, when the field hockey team also had their ACC tournament," women's soccer senior co-captain Mandy Lehr said.
Unfortunately, because of the game schedules, the teams will be unable to lend each other much support on the road. The women's soccer team plays at 7 p.m. Friday night, while the Volleyball team plays at 7:30 p.m. the same night. By the time the field hockey team plays at 12 p.m. Saturday, the soccer and volleyball teams will have left College Park.
As the fall seasons wind down, the games against Maryland, one of Duke's chief rivals in the Atlantic Coast Conference, are important for all of the Blue Devil teams.
Coming off a week of rest and a strong showing against Clemson, the football team (0-6 overall, 0-3 in the ACC) is anxious to gain its first win of the season. Maryland may prove to be a tough opponent, however, coming off a 52-0 Homecoming thrashing of Wake Forest last weekend. The Blue Devils take on the Terps at 12 p.m. on Saturday in just their third home game of the season.
Early in the season, the No. 12 Duke field hockey team (9-6, 2-3) turned Friday September 13th into a lucky day when it defeated then second-ranked Maryland. Duke hopes to to repeat that performance this weekend against the Terrapins, now ranked fifth in the country. A win on Saturday would give the Blue Devils a .500 record in the ACC.
Also looking to improve their record in the ACC is the women's soccer team (6-8-2, 1-3). The team has struggled throughout the season, and is winless in its last five games. A win over Maryland, ranked No. 5, "would do us worlds of good," Lehr said.
The volleyball team (8-8, 5-3) started steamrolling through the ACC last weekend, with home wins over Clemson and Georgia Tech. The team suffered a tough five-set loss to Maryland earlier in the season, and is looking to avenge that loss this Friday. A road victory over Maryland would keep the volleyball team in the running for second place in the ACC.
For Blue Devil sports fans, there will be more Duke teams playing at Maryland this weekend than at Duke. For those looking for a road trip, College Park is just over four hours away.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.