The ACC has long been the top conference for men's soccer, but the Big East isn't doing too badly these days, with five schools in the NSCAA top 25. Two of those teams will visit Durham this weekend to take on the Blue Devils and fellow ACC member N.C. State in the Duke adidas Classic at Koskinen Field.
The 10th-ranked Blue Devils (2-0) face No. 15 Rutgers (1-0-1) tonight and No. 11 Connecticut (1-1) 24 hours later in their first games against ranked opponents this year. Duke knocked off Monmouth and Charleston Southern by a combined score of 11-1 to open the season.
"It'll be a good test," goalie Jeff Haywood said. "We're a young team and we look forward to proving ourselves."
This weekend will be a particularly good test for Haywood. The junior backed up Atli Knutsson the last two years and only started four games heading into this season. Haywood has had to make just two saves so far this fall but likely will see more action today and tomorrow.
"I'm really excited for myself," he said. "It's a chance to prove myself."
Haywood played with the Miami Breakers this summer, a Premier Development League team that often practiced with the MLS franchise the Miami Fusion. The Breakers' 16-game slate gave Haywood a taste of starting in goal for a top college team.
"It was not as rigorous as the ACC schedule," he said. "But for me, just getting in all those games was real important."
Haywood and his teammates may be facing two Big East squads this weekend, but these games could prove crucial once the ACC season starts. After hosting the Huskies Saturday, the Blue Devils kick off their always-tough conference schedule, traveling to Clemson to take on a Tiger team picked to top the league for the second straight year.
"It's a great preparation for the ACC season," coach John Rennie said of this weekend's tournament.
Duke will be helped even more by the fact that Rutgers and UConn play contrasting styles, Haywood said, giving the Blue Devils experience against two different types of teams. The Scarlet Knights are a more methodical, fundamentally sound squad, while the Huskies rely much more on their quickness and athleticism.
"Connecticut has as much skill and speed as we'll see from any team all year," Rennie said.
The Huskies return their entire defensive unit from their 1998 squad, which allowed only 13 goals all season. The Blue Devils, in contrast, lost Knutsson and two other starters, Evan Whitfield and Eric Otto, from last year's defense.
Even though Duke has a number of newcomers playing significant minutes, Rennie isn't worried about his team's biggest challenge of this young season.
"I think we're ready for this kind of test," he said. "They've been doing fine. They haven't been put under this kind of pressure, but I'm comfortable they're ready for the games."
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