After shelling its last two opponents by a combined score of 14-2, the men's soccer team will put its stellar record on the line this Sunday afternoon as it hosts No. 10 Maryland at Duke Soccer Stadium.
A strong showing at the adidas soccer classic two weeks ago and a convincing 5-1 win at Clemson has propelled Duke (7-1, 1-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) to a season-high ranking of No. 5 on Soccer America's latest poll.
However, Maryland will be Duke's toughest opponent since the Blue Devils lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to top-ranked and undefeated Indiana two weeks ago. The Terrapins (5-1-1, 0-1-1) were ranked as high as No. 2, but are coming off their first loss of the season against N.C. State.
Vengeance will be on the Blue Devils' minds this Sunday, as the two teams' last meeting sent Duke on its freefall from the No. 1 spot in the nation. When Duke visited College Park last season, they boasted the nation's top ranking. However, the Terps soundly defeated Duke 4-1, and the Blue Devils were never the same team after that contest.
Traditional powerhouse Maryland is no different this year, touting three of the top five scorers in the ACC. The strong suit of this team, however, lies in its defense. Led by National Player of the Year candidate Leo Cullen, the airtight defense has surrendered only seven goals in its first seven contests.
That defense will be strongly tested this weekend, as Duke will trot out the early favorite for ACC's Freshman of the Year, forward Ali Curtis. The excitable rookie has found the back of the net an ACC-leading nine times this season. He will be joined by recently surging midfielder Jay Heaps, who is coming off ACC Player of the Week honors and a hat trick against Clemson.
Lost in Duke's offensive exploits has been the sensational play by goaltender Atli Knutson. The Iceland native has four shutouts already under his belt, and has given up a mere three goals in 540 minutes.
Though still early in the season, the winner of this showdown will gain an edge on the rest of what is a strong conference this year, featuring four teams in the top 10.
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