Revitalized after handily defeating Coastal Carolina 3-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the men's soccer team (15-5) will travel to Norfolk, Va., where it will take on 12th-seeded Old Dominion (13-5-2) Tuesday.
The Monarchs, who earned a first-round bye, have had more than 10 days to rest and prepare for tonight's round-of-32 matchup. Most recently, the Monarchs fell to Hofstra in the Colonial Athletic Association finals 1-0, and three players garnered All-Tournament honors.
"Old Dominion hasn't played in a pretty long time now," Duke forward Tomek Charowski said after beating Coastal Carolina Friday. "So I think we'll have the upper hand in terms of being in a rhythm and a flow.... But there's no telling how the next game will go."
The contest will likely be a defensive battle between the two clubs. Duke demonstrated its ability to pressure the ball against Coastal Carolina, often double-teaming attackers and controlling many loose balls. The Monarchs do not allow many shots to get through to their keeper and, like the Blue Devils, will keep defensive pressure on the opponent's forwards.
A patient team that executes efficiently, the Monarchs take advantage of opportunities and put about half of their shots on goal. Led by Kevon Harris and Brian Cvilikas, Old Dominion may not have the individual talent that Duke faced against Coastal Carolina and several ACC teams, but it can still pose a serious threat to the Blue Devils as it did to other ACC teams earlier in the season.
The Monarchs defeated both North Carolina and Virginia Tech 3-2 but fell to ACC Tournament champion Virginia 4-1 Oct. 27. The Cavaliers' previous game had been their come-from-behind, overtime victory against the Blue Devils.
Since the middle of the season when Duke lost several conference games, including the loss to Virginia, head coach John Rennie has tinkered with his midfield and forwards. Chris Loftus has moved back into the midfield while Charowski, who scored a pair of goals against Coastal Carolina, has replaced him at forward.
"We know enough about Old Dominion and we'll certainly prepare for them, but we're mainly focused on ourselves," Rennie said. "They're a very disciplined and organized team that doesn't give up many goals."
Rennie has made small changes to the Duke attack, but the backline of Danny Miller, Tim Jepson and Kyle Helton has remained intact throughout the season. Both teams are defensive-minded--the Blue Devils have allowed only 16 goals to the Monarchs' 22.
Duke keeper Justin Trowbridge boasts a save percentage of 80, while John Connelly saves about 70 percent of his shots. And although Old Dominion has shut its opponents out eight times this season, the Blue Devils have done the same in 11 games, most during an eight-game shutout streak to open the season.
Quick attackers near the net, junior Danny Kramer and freshman Spencer Wadsworth lead the team in points. Michael Videira and Blake Camp anchor the midfield for Duke.
The winner of Tuesday's matchup will go on to play either fifth-seeded Notre Dame or Ohio State in the third round either Saturday or Sunday.
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