According to the Chinese calendar it may be the year of the Sheep, but the men's soccer team has been living in the year of the Streak. After suffering a nine-game stretch without a win, the Blue Devils (7-9-1) promptly shifted gears and won five straight matches before last Friday's 4-0 loss to No. 3 Wake Forest. Now Duke hopes to start another victory streak with its last regular season game against the South Florida Bulls (6-6-3) at Koskinen Stadium on Wednesday night.
"We changed up what we wanted to do against Wake," senior captain Matt Ahumada said. "We're going to get back to pressuring and working as hard as we can to force them to make mistakes and capitalize on them. That's what we did well during our five-game win streak."
The Blue Devils were an offensive juggernaut during their win streak, netting 14 goals, including three each from forwards Nigi Adogwa and Chris Loftus. Aside from the poor match against the Demon Deacons, Duke has been solid on the defensive end while allowing just two goals in those five games.
The Bulls bring a unique strategy to the table, putting five midfielders on the field and only one forward--Hunter West. The South Florida sophomore has netted seven goals on the year, while the second highest goal scorer on the team only has three. This scheme makes Bulls' opponents susceptible to counterattacks. In order to prevent breakaways, the Duke defense, which now includes previously injured Kyle Helton, will have to be attentive to timed runs by the Bulls.
Nonetheless, the Blue Devils are trying to concentrate on their own game plan.
"We're focused on executing more of our game offensively than worrying about them," freshman Chase Perfect said. "We want to make teams adjust to us."
With the Blue Devils also playing five midfielders, Wednesday's match could be a battle between defenses, as South Florida has allowed more than two goals in only one match this season. Netminder Dane Brenner has 47 saves on the season and an impressive 1.13 goals against average.
In trying to beat Brenner, Duke's offense will receive a boost with the return of Adogwa, who was injured for Friday's match. Senior captain Jordan Cila and sophomore Danny Kramer will attempt to control possession in the all-important midfield. The first goal in Wednesday's match will be crucial, as the Bulls are prepared to play defensively and the Blue Devils will try to dominate the midfield.
Regardless of the outcome, five Duke seniors, including Ahumada and Cila, will walk out of Koskinen Stadium for the last time as Blue Devils.
"It's kind of weird to think that it's all over," Ahumada said. "It's been a great three years here and I definitely want to go out with a win."
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