After starting last season 8-0, the Blue Devils traveled to College Park, Md. for a showdown with the then-top-ranked Terrapins. The Blue Devils, who were ranked 13th at the time, escaped with a remarkable 2-1 upset and rode that momentum all the way to the 2004 College Cup.
Maryland joined Duke in Carson, Calif. for the national semifinals, but the ACC teams fared poorly, as the Terrapins and Blue Devils each were ousted by their semifinal opponents.
Although the teams have followed similar paths over the past year, they will meet for the first time tonight since Duke's regular-season upset more than a year ago. The game, which begins at 7 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium, will be broadcast on national television on the Fox Soccer Channel.
"I can't wait to play [tonight]," junior midfielder Chris Loftus said. "Maryland is always one of our biggest games."
No. 8 Duke (7-1-1, 2-0-1 in the ACC) and No. 13 Maryland (7-3, 2-1) are once again among the ACC's top teams, both trailing Virginia in the standings.
"They've been in the College Cup three years in a row now," Duke head coach John Rennie said of Maryland. "They've established a great tradition and they're a very strong team."
The Terps enter tonight's showdown on a two-game winning streak and are coming off a 3-1 victory over Wake Forest Sept. 30.
Rennie said he has experienced this type of national hype in anticipation of a game before.
"I think the first time we were on national TV was in 1980 when we played down at Clemson," Rennie said. "There will be a lot of people watching, whether it be recruits, pro scouts or opposing teams. That certainly adds to the pressure."
The general mood among the Blue Devils, though, is less one of pressure and more of confidence, as Duke enters the game with a five-game unbeaten streak of its own.
Loftus currently leads Duke with eight goals in the team's nine games, an average which ranks fourth in the ACC, and the Blue Devils have not lost a game in which he scored.
"[Those stats] don't affect anything at all," Loftus said. "I just want to go out and give all that I can and be a leader on the team."
Ranking ahead of Loftus in goals per game in the ACC, is Maryland forward Jason Garey, who has already found the net 10 times this season. The senior scored 22 goals last year and is currently one of the favorites for the Hermann trophy, which is awarded to the best collegiate soccer player each year.
The Blue Devils will also have to contend with the Terps' aggressive style.
"They're very strong physically and they're a very good possession team," Rennie said. "They try to make you chase them and wear you down."
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