The men's soccer team may have its first win behind it and an injured player returning to the starting lineup, but it does not have the luxury of resting easy. The ninth-ranked Blue Devils (1-0) will be in for a grueling weekend as they travel to Raleigh for the adidas Wolfpack Classic hosted by N.C. State. Duke faces Iona (0-0) on Friday at 4:30 p.m. and Liberty (1-0) on Saturday at the same time.
Iona is a team on the rise; the Gaels compiled a 1-17 record two years ago, but last season they upped that mark to 12-7. Sophomore forward Sean Murphy (16 goals last year) heads the attack.
One of Iona's greatest assets is the squad's size and its ability to control the ball in the air. Duke coach John Rennie admits the short-stature Blue Devils could have trouble winning headers.
"Iona's big and strong, which is one of our weaknesses," Rennie said. "We're not as big or as good in the air.... You can't compensate for that. You just have to work hard, concentrate and challenge for anything in the air."
Duke will face a relatively inexperienced squad when Liberty takes to the field Saturday. The Flames return only five starters from last season.
Two of those five starters, however, have proven themselves prolific scorers. Striker Gary Ricketts led Liberty in scoring with 22 points last season. Jose Gomez, a second-team all-conference selection, was not far behind with 18. Ricketts and Gomez both notched hat tricks in the Flames' season opener against Longwood College.
The Blue Devils may have their hands full guarding players like Murphy, Ricketts and Gomez, but one advantage they will have on defense is the return of sophomore sweeper Robert Russell. Russell, who sat out the first half of Duke's season opener-a 5-0 win over George Mason on Tuesday-is expected to start in both games this weekend.
"He's one of the most important players on the team," Rennie said of Russell. "You just suffer if you don't have one of those kind of players able to play."
Rennie does not plan to change his starting lineup drastically, but to keep his players fresh he intends to give Duke's reserves considerable playing time.
No matter who steps out on the field, the Blue Devils feel confident going into the Classic with a win under their belts.
"We've got some aches and pains and bruises, but we're ready for the weekend," Rennie said.
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