You look the girl of your dreams in the eyes. You move in to kiss her, and BAM!, she spits in your face and professes her love for the kid in the back of your Orgo class who sports a pocket protector.
While the Duke men's soccer team did not suffer such jaw-dropping humiliation last weekend, they were left heartbroken after two stunning upsets at the hands of St. John's and UConn.
Arriving as the best team in the land, the Blue Devils (0-2) left the UConn/Nike Soccer Classic with two more regular season losses than they accumulated all last season. Now they have the daunting task of having to scratch, kick and claw their way back to the apex of the national soccer landscape.
"We are very disappointed," coach John Rennie said. "Nevertheless, these losses will make us a better team....We took a big risk in playing such tough competition so early, but our guys learned a lot. It is now time for us to move forward."
If Duke is looking for its season to turn around, its ascent must start this weekend with a burst of offense at the Duke-adidas Soccer Classic in Koskinen Stadium.
"Basically, we just need to score a few goals," Rennie said. "A little scoring is going to cure all our ills."
The squad should have a golden opportunity to light up the scoreboard tonight at 7 p.m. against a grossly outmatched Long Island team (0-2). The Blackbirds have been outscored 6-0 and outshot 30-12 in two ugly losses against Navy and Towson.
Tomorrow evening's matchup against Butler (0-2), however, may create some potential problems for the Blue Devils.
The Bulldogs, fresh off a disappointing 7-12 season that saw them miss their first NCAA tournament bid in three years, return seven starters, led by two All-MCC forwards.
In addition, Butler can boast the acquisition of Allistair Rose, a freshman who led the South African national under-17 team last year. Though they have been trampled 5-0 in both of their first two contests this season, they have dared to take on strong soccer programs such as UCLA and Portland-and their experience against big-name competition could prove worrisome for Duke.
Another potential concern for Rennie is that his troops might take the Blackbirds and Bulldogs too lightly. Neither team possesses the athletic capability of the Blue Devils' previous two opponents, and Duke just might not have the emotional fortitude to play these games with maximum intensity.
"There should not be any signs of a let-down," Rennie said. "LIU and Butler are Division I programs. Obviously, these are going to be some great games this weekend."
Though the season is in its relative infancy, Duke faces a "must-win" weekend on its trek back to national prominence.
"I'm up for winning these games this weekend," highly touted Duke freshman forward Danny Wymer said. "So is everyone else on this team. We are committed to climbing ourselves all the way to the top of the rankings again. It all starts now."
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