The men's soccer team is having one of its best seasons in recent memory. The Blue Devils (10-0-3) are ranked no worse than third in any major poll and have accomplished this feat despite the loss of four key players-including the 1998 Missouri Athletic Club Player of the Year Jay Heaps.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this season is the fact that the man responsible for much of his team's success entered the campaign having started only two games in his Duke career.
Junior goalkeeper Jeff Haywood spent much of the last two seasons sitting on the bench watching Atli Knutsson mind the Blue Devil net. But with Knutsson's eligibility expired, Haywood left the bench for the spotlight.
While most would consider his time on the sidelines a setback, Haywood said that it provided him with some crucial advantages.
"It was a very good experience for me," he said. "Atli was older than your average college soccer player, and therefore had a lot more experience. His experience is what really helped me. He was able to teach me some things that most college goalies probably don't know."This season the pupil has surpassed the teacher. Haywood ranks third in Division I soccer with a miniscule 0.44 goals-against average, almost twice as good as the 0.82 Knutsson posted last year.
Haywood said that while his performance may have shocked some in the soccer world, he was not completely surprised.
"I hadn't been proven in ACC games," he said. "But a big part of goalkeeping is your confidence. I had the confidence that I could play at this level. It was just a matter of proving it."
Haywood played only 268 minutes as a sophomore, most of which came late in games or against inferior competition. But he managed to get himself some important game experience over the summer.
Haywood spent the summer playing for the Miami Breakers club team. The Breakers played a 16-game schedule and practiced with the Miami Fusion, a MLS team.
"I can't say enough for the experience," he said. "Just the fact of playing 16 games, it's like another season. Even though the level is not the same as Division I, just playing the games and training with that team and the Miami Fusion, I can't tell you how much it has helped me."
Haywood talked about this summer and his time with Knutsson as the major factors in developing him as a keeper. But ask him about the success the Blue Devils have experienced this season, and you will hear about the defense.
"We are playing great team defense," he said. "The three guys that play primarily in the back have done an unbelievable job. Dwayne Harris, Kevin Sakuda and Nii-Amar Amamoo really haven't put me in many situations where I have needed to prove myself."
Haywood and his defense have Duke in a commanding position. After a 9-1 trouncing of Elon on Wednesday, the Blue Devils need only three wins to finish off an undefeated season. Perhaps most importantly, a win against N.C. State in the season's final game will almost certainly give Duke the regular season ACC title and secure a first round bye in the conference tournament.
Haywood said the primary focus of the team is the game with the Wolfpack.
"We have to beat N.C. State to get that crucial bye," he said. "It is a brutal thing to have to play three games in four days. We would much rather have to play two games in three days."
With the postseason looming, and a crucial ACC finale ahead, most first-year starters would start to feel the pressure building.
But Haywood said there will be no change in his approach.
"Goalkeeper is a position where mistakes can hurt you a lot," he said. "I'm just trying to avoid those mistakes. The biggest thing for me right now is to help the team win. That hasn't changed since the day I got here."
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