A last-minute loss to N.C. State Sunday and a looming matchup with No. 3 Virginia Saturday have the potential to derail a young Duke team. But the 19th-ranked Blue Devils (12-2) have an out-of-conference matchup with UNC-Asheville (4-6-1) tonight at 7 p.m. to get back on track before clashing with the ACC’s best in Charlottesville.
“The will be a typical midweek opponent,” a confident Danny Miller said of the team’s midweek opponent. “They’re going to sit back and look to counter.”
The Bulldogs are a defensive-minded team, and may have trouble scoring against a strong Duke backfield. The Blue Devils’ defensive core, anchored by goaltender Justin Trowbridge, has recorded eight shutouts in 2004.
“We’ll have to take our time with them,” forward Chris Loftus said, expecting UNC-Asheville to crowd the box.
Duke has learned a lot from previous midweek opponents, which have employed similar strategies to the one the Blue Devils expect to see from the Bulldogs. Most teams have attempted to stifle the potent Duke forwards by packing the backfield and looking for an opportunity to counterattack. Many opponents, however, have been unsuccessful facing a balanced Duke squad.
“We expect they’ll be a very defense-oriented team,” head coach John Rennie said. “They’ll try and prevent us from scoring and look to counter. It’s their team concept, they’re very hard to score on.”
Duke will be looking for Loftus and the offensive unit to crack the stingy Bulldog defense.
“We’re going to try and suck their defense out,” Loftus said.
If the Blue Devils’ backfield can work cohesively with its forwards, the more talented Duke team is likely to roll past the Bulldogs. Duke has toped all nine of its out-of-conference opponents this season.
The Blue Devils, however, have struggled mentally during the last few games.
“For the last couple of losses, we haven’t been mentally tough,” Miller said. “We need to put in 90 minutes.”
Haunted by N.C. State’s goal in the last two minutes, Duke must maintain focus until the final whistle. With only four games left in the regular season, including the Cavaliers and in-state rival Wake Forest, Duke must be tougher than ever.
“The next few games will determine our season,” Rennie said.
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