One of the most difficult tasks for any team is to overcome an unexpected loss.
When Duke was upset by UNC-Wilmington 1-0 Tuesday, the loss ended the Blue Devils' undefeated season. But fifth-ranked Duke (6-1-1, 1-0-1 in the ACC) will have to deal with the defeat and regroup before ACC foe Boston College (4-3, 1-1) visits Koskinen Stadium 7 p.m. Saturday.
"The loss is completely out of our system," junior forward Spencer Wadsworth said. "There's no point in thinking about it. We are looking forward to Boston College."
Tuesday's controversial loss to the Seahawks-in which the referee nullified the Blue Devils' late score because it came after time expired-was highlighted by Duke's inability to find the back of the net. Although Duke was shut out for the second time in its last three games-the other was a scoreless tie with Virginia Tech Sept. 12-the team remains optimistic about its offensive chances.
"Getting shots is not a problem," Wadsworth said. "We just have to take advantage of the opportunities we have. We had an off night against UNC-Wilmington, but it isn't really that big of a deal. We're keeping our heads up."
Head coach John Rennie, however, said offensively the Blue Devils have to focus on finishing scoring opportunities.
"You worry about two things," Rennie said. "The first is creating legitimate scoring chances, which we did. We created very good opportunities to score. The second is finishing scoring changes. We just didn't finish our really good chances, a byproduct of poor execution."
The Blue Devils cannot dwell on their first loss as the Eagles are coming off a 1-0 win over St. Francis Sept. 19 and a near upset of second-ranked Virginia in overtime Sept. 15 on the road.
"Rankings mean very little this early in the season," Rennie said. "Boston College beat Virginia Tech, and we didn't. Boston College has maybe the best goal scorer in the country in Charlie Davies. They present their own unique challenge, like any other ACC team."
Last year, Duke cruised to a 3-0 victory against the Eagles on the road, although Davies was not active for that game.
This year, with Davies back in the mix, the Blue Devils know that the game Saturday is going to be a real fight. Davies has already netted six goals in his first seven games.
Like Rennie, Duke players are not putting stock in the fact that Boston College is unranked.
"It doesn't really matter," junior midfielder Joe Germanese said. "One ACC team is just as tough as any other opponent, and any ACC game is a huge game. Anybody in the ACC can beat anybody."
Although the Blue Devils' undefeated season is over, they are still perfect in conference play and hope to stay out of the loss column with a win against Boston College this weekend.
"Everybody hates to lose," Germanese said. "We got together at practice, though, and realized we have a very big game Saturday. All of our energy is focused on Boston College."
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