Duke was supposed to be coming into Sunday's game on a 10-game winning streak. It was supposed to be shooting for an undefeated ACC season.
But things changed Wednesday night when the second-ranked Blue Devils were upset 10-9 by No. 15 North Carolina. And now Duke must regroup and get ready for one of its toughest games all season.
The Blue Devils (9-1, 1-1 in the ACC) and fourth-ranked Virginia (6-2, 2-0) square off Sunday at 2 p.m. at Duke Lacrosse Stadium. And as is becoming the norm with the Duke-Virginia game, a lot is riding on its outcome.
The winner will win the ACC regular-season title and have the tournament's top seed. But beyond that, a win could also give either team an inside track to securing a top-four national ranking, which is good for a first-round bye in the NCAA tournament.
"Regardless of what happened Wednesday, Sunday's game is still for the first seed in the ACC tourney," coach Mike Pressler said. "If we beat Virginia, we play North Carolina in the first round, and that's a matchup we'd be excited about. Our guys feel they have some unfinished business from Wednesday night."
But first comes Virginia, who beat the Blue Devils
As usual, the Cavaliers are led by one of the nation's best attack units. Virginia leads the nation in scoring margin and is second in scoring offense, averaging a whopping 15.38 goals per game. It likes to play a wide-open game, and the matchup between its touted offense and Duke's elite defense will be the focus of the game.
"We know all these guys," Pressler said. "[Tucker] Radebaugh, Drew McKnight, it's the usual suspects. They pose a great challenge for our defense, but I know our guys will step up."
Radebaugh, especially, is having a great season. The senior leads the team with 35 points and is ninth in the nation in goals scored. Pressler has not yet decided who will have the unenviable task of guarding the standout attackman.
"He's their lead pony," Pressler said of Radebaugh. "He's an excellent attackman and he's having an outstanding season."
And while the attention will be focused on Virginia's high-powered offense versus Duke's defense, Pressler believes the game might be won at midfield during faceoffs. The Blue Devils are currently the nation's top team in faceoff winning percentage, but the Cavs are right behind them at No. 6.
But no matter how well the Blue Devils win faceoffs and no matter how tough their defense plays, the Cavaliers will score plenty of goals. It will be up to Duke's attack, which has had trouble shooting recently, to regroup and get the ball in the cage.
Duke's attack may have an advantage against Virginia keeper Derek Kenney. Only a freshman, Kenney has really struggled at times. He is not in the nation's top 20 in save percentage, unusual given his team's high rank, and gives up an average of 8.57 goals a game.
But a bigger question than Kenney's abilities may be Duke's ability to rebound following its first loss of the year. Pressler, for one, believes his team will be more than ready to play. He is glad that his team can get back out on the field quickly, instead of having to wait a full week.
"Looking at the tapes of the Carolina game, we should have won," Pressler said. "They played their very best and we didn't. I know we will respond very well. This is a highly motivated and highly determined group."
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