Last season in the finals of the ACC tournament, the championship game came down to a Duke-UNC showdown that remained tied 0-0 through overtime.
The shootout was gridlocked at 4-4 after five rounds, when then-sophomore goalkeeper Justin Papadakis saved the shot of Tar Heel Stephen Bickford. Mike Grella slammed the next shot to the left corner of the net, and the Blue Devils were the ACC champions.
Fast forward to this year. Duke stands poised for another championship-caliber season, anchored by a solid defense backed by Papadakis in net.
"Last year [Papadakis] got a lot of experience," junior defender Tim Jepson said. "He talks a lot back there to make sure we're all in line and getting up the field and making sure we're tight.
"Obviously, the relationship that we have to have with him has got to be solid, because ultimately, he's the one that's looking past everything else and making sure everything in front of us is straight."
After playing all but nine minutes of the 2005-2006 season, Papadakis has tallied 38 saves this fall, allowing just 12 goals in 12 games played, with three shutouts.
"Justin brings a lot of poise out there, he's very calm," head coach John Rennie said. "He's a good leader in terms of talking with his defenders. He's just a good goalkeeper, and now he has the experience to go with it."
Despite his success, Papadakis' starting spot has been challenged. Brendan Fitzgerald, who redshirted last year, is also a contender for serious playing time.
After playing in games last spring, and during the teams' summer trip to Germany, the redshirt freshman has finally gotten an opportunity to show his skills.
"To play in a regular-season game with the crowd is definitely a better experience," Fitzgerald said. "You definitely have to have a fluid sense between your goalie and your defense. Everything has to be clicking, but the way they've been playing, there hasn't been much I've needed to direct them with."
The younger keeper has started two games this year-both wins-against St. Francis and Harvard, recording four saves in 180 minutes of playing time.
"Justin, obviously, has the experience, the playing time, but Brendan is a real close number two," Rennie said. "We all have a lot of confidence in him, so it's a good competitive situation. You don't want your starting goalkeeper to feel he's got nobody behind him, and he's going to play no matter what."
So far, Duke has held opponents to just 133 shots while racking up 228 against of its own. This is in part due to the strong relationship between Papadakis and the back four defenders, all of whom returned from last year.
Sophomore Graham Dugoni, junior Kyle Helton, Jepson and sophomore Darrius Barnes comprise the defensive core that has reduced opponents to 14 goals in 14 games this season.
"We really understand each other this year," Papadakis said of his connection with the defense. "We're kind of the same team as last year, so that is a huge advantage for us. It's not very common in college to have the same back four for two years in a row."
Papadakis has played with Helton for seven years, starting when they were on a under-14 club team together, and the keeper stressed how key communication with the defense is to Duke's success.
"That's one of my biggest parts of the game, communication with the defense," Papadakis said. "We work on it in practice, we train together. Whenever we play scrimmages, it's always together."
Another component that has further bolstered the Blue Devil defense is the addition of sophomore Pavelid Castenada as the defensive midfielder, Rennie said.
"He's a huge part of our defense," Papadakis said of Castenada. "He really works hard and cleans up everything in the midfield. He's really an integral part of our team, because he's in the midfield, and he's handled that role spectacularly this year."
This combination of an experienced returning defense and a veteran Papadakis, pushed to stay sharp as Fitzgerald nips at his heels for playing time, has come together to create Duke's strong defensive unit.
"What you have to do to make sure you're a consistent team is make sure that you are very consistent defensively. That includes certainly a goalkeeper, but it really is the whole team," Rennie said. "Add it all up, and it turns into a consistently stable defense."
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