No. 2 Duke (13-2-1, 5-1-1 in the ACC) can clinch the ACC regular-season title and the top seed in the upcoming ACC tournament with a win Friday night, but it won't come easily as No. 8 Clemson stands in the way.
Midway through the regular season the Tigers were atop the national rankings after winning their first eight matches. Since then, however, they have lost three games and tied two to go winless in the ever-competitive ACC.
With a win, the Blue Devils would have a chance to move up to No. 1 in the national rankings. Southern Methodist, currently ranked first, lost to Alabama Wednesday night and the new poll will not be released until early next week.
To beat Clemson, Duke will once again rely on its vaunted back line, which has allowed just seven goals in the team's past 11 contests. Junior goalkeeper Justin Papadakis has 41 saves and four shutouts on the season.
The last time out, Duke beat unranked North Florida, 5-0, in the team's best offensive output of the season. Clemson tied its last match, 1-1, with Boston College.
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