After posting a 3-0 victory over Georgia Southern last Sunday, the men's soccer team will host George Washington and South Carolina this weekend at the Duke Adidas Classic.
In the first matchup the Blue Devils will take on the high-scoring Colonials from Washington D.C., today at 7:30 p.m. in Koskinen Stadium. Led by junior forward Arnar Johannsson, a native of Iceland, the George Washington offense has managed to net an impressive seven goals in their first two games of the season. In their last game, Johannsson scored all four of his team's goals despite being double-teamed for much of the second half. Blue Devil head coach John Rennie will make sure his defense is up to par before Friday night's contest.
"George Washington is one of the best goal scoring teams in the country," Rennie said.
Goalkeeper Justin Trowbridge, along with his group of defenders, will have their hands full with the Colonial's offensive pressure. Matt Osborne, a Colonial forward who netted George Washington's other two goals, will draw Duke's full attention.
Where Duke can exploit George Washington is on transition plays. The Colonials gave up 12 shots to lowly Howard in the first half of their game last week. If Jordan Cila and Donald McIntosh can keep pressure on George Washington's weaker defense, they will be able to shift the Colonial forwards into their own zone. This will not be a simple feat after GW's two dominating performances this year.
"They won both of their first two games very convincingly," Rennie said. "Obviously, they have a very potent attack."
In their second match of the weekend the Blue Devils face off against the Gamecocks from South Carolina Sunday at 1 p.m. Besides their No. 10 ranking, South Carolina boasts a well-rounded offensive attack which features three players that have already scored in their first two games. Freshman Ryan Deter, the teams leading scorer, has found the back of the goal three times this season.
Despite their offensive similarity to George Washington, South Carolina's defense has been stellar in its first two starts. Gamecock goalie Michael Bachmeyer faced only two shots against Charleston Southern and eight against Jacksonville. Head coach Mark Berson is excited about his young team, which features eight freshman and three transfers, including last year's Junior College National Player of the year, Ricky Quest.
"I think this is a fun team to work with," Berson said. "They work very hard and there is no substitute for experience. Some spots we played very well, while in other spots not so good."
The Blue Devils will have to take advantage of the Gamecocks inexperience Sunday to compete. Duke's offense turned up their output against Georgia Southern with the help of freshman Ian Carey, who had two assists in the match. Duke's major problem in their season opener against Holy Cross was finishing their scoring opportunities.
The Blue Devils outshot the Crusaders 23-5 but did not score until the 83rd minute of the game. Duke cannot afford to be that unsuccessful Sunday against a skillful Gamecock squad.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.