On the surface, Atlantic-Sun Conference opponent Campbell should not present a problem for the Duke men’s soccer team. But the Camels should not have been a stumbling block last year when they pushed the Blue Devils to a double-overtime tie.
After a blazing start when it blanked its first five opponents, Duke (5-0) squares off at 7 p.m. against Campbell (0-2-1) in its final tune-up before the ACC schedule beings Saturday. The Blue Devils won a pair of games in the Duke/adidas Classic this weekend, overwhelming both Columbia and Farleigh Dickenson.
“It’s been a great start, but that’s all it really is,” said head coach John Rennie, who noted that his team cannot be overconfident.
With a quick, powerful offense and stifling defense, the team has now outscored its opponents 21-0 on the year. Duke looks to continue its hot streak against a Campbell team that has only mustered one goal in three games.
Rennie does not expect his defense to hold its opponents scoreless for much longer. The Campbell attack, however, may not be strong enough to snap the Blue Devils’ shutout streak.
“Our whole team [has been] working very hard defensively from our forwards back to the goal keeper,” Rennie said.
To complement stellar defense, the team, which ranks sixth in the nation in scoring average, continues to pummel opposing goalies. Duke has been aggressive offensively, outshooting its opponents 5-to-1 and maintaining a 4-to-1 corner kick advantage.
Josh Swank and Blake Camp lead the team’s balanced attack with 10 points. Camp earned a spot on the College Soccer News Team of the Week after being named MVP of the Duke/adidas Classic. Overall, five different players have scored game-winning goals, and eight players have notched at least seven points through just five games.
A pair of freshmen, Spencer Wadsworth and Michael Videira, are sparkplugs in an offense that has been able to control the ball and momentum in its games thus far.
The Blue Devils also play an extremely clean game, as not a single player has been given a yellow or red card the entire year while opponents’ frustration has led to six cards. Rennie said his team’s clean play stems from the Blue Devils’ athleticism and physical strength.
After a tough but successful weekend, Rennie decided to let the team rest Sunday and Monday.
Duke plans on using much of the same strategy it used in the first five games for the rest of the season.
“We are just trying to get better and continue to work out our personnel with a pretty young team,” Rennie said. “We are still working on our team getting better game by game, and that’s been our goal since the first day.”
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