Duke hopes that the second time is the charm when it takes on Maryland tonight.
The No. 9 Blue Devils (14-3-1), seeded first in the ACC tournament, clash with the No. 5 and fourth-seeded Terrapins (15-3-1) for the second time this season in the semifinals of the ACC tournament at 8 pm. in Germantown, Md.
In the earlier meeting between the two teams, Maryland won a closely-contested game, 1-0. With the stakes even higher this time around, Duke would like nothing more than to even the series.
"We didn't really play up to our potential earlier," junior midfielder Joe Germanese said. "It's great that we have the same opportunity again, here in Maryland. We'd love to serve revenge."
In the Blue Devils' earlier loss to the Terrapins, 6,489 raucous fans came out to cheer on Maryland. The turnout set a record for the largest crowd at a Terrapins' home soccer game. Duke expects the same kind of reception in tonight's game, but, having already played in the hostile environment, the team is not daunted.
"It will make for a great atmosphere," head coach John Rennie said. "We've already played there, and it makes for an exciting game."
Heading into tonight's game, Duke's roster is finally nearing full health again.
Both Germanese and junior midfielder Michael Videira sat out games with injuries over the past two weeks. Germanese came back from a broken wrist to play against N.C. State Wednesday. Videira, who was named earlier this week to the All-ACC team for the third year in a row, overcame an injured ankle to score one of Duke's two goals against the Wolfpack.
With the squad healthy again, the Blue Devils look to continue executing what has become the staple of the team-defense. The last time Duke gave up more than one goal in a game was Sept. 8 in a 4-3 win against Wake Forest. Even in the Sept. 29 loss to Maryland, the Blue Devils yielded just the one goal.
"It is a team defense," Rennie said, "It is not just the goalkeeper or the defenders. Everyone is playing hard defense for 90 minutes."
Duke's defense must remain consistent to give its offense a better chance to execute. The Terrapins' goalkeeper, Chris Seitz, was named 2006 ACC Defensive Player of the Year after recording nine shutouts in his team's first 19 games of the season. Seitz has already blanked the Blue Devils once this year.
Not only is Duke playing in front of a rowdy crowd against an outstanding goalkeeper, but they are doing so as the ACC's top seed, giving Maryland even more desire to pull out with a win.
"It is tough being the No. 1 seed," Videira said. "It brings a lot of pressure on us. But along with that, it also gives us more motivation."
The Blue Devils are looking to pull off a repeat performance of last year's ACC tournament, in which they also faced the Terrapins in the semifinals. Duke upset Maryland 4-2 in that game, en route to winning the ACC Championship.
Pulling off a second straight tournament semifinal win against the Terrapins, however, will not be easy. The defending national champions will be ready to play, buoyed by the crowd.
"They beat us at their place already," Videira said. "There will be a lot of fans tonight, so we definitely want to return the favor."
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