After a commanding 2-0 victory over Brown Wednesday, the Blue Devils look to continue their charge through the College Cup with a win this Sunday.
Top-seeded Duke (17-3-1) takes on sixteenth-seeded Lehigh (16-1-2) at 1 p.m. in Koskinen Stadium in a third-round matchup. The winner will advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.
The Blue Devils have proven so far that they can dominate in the postseason and hope to continue their winning ways against the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh, however, is not a team to be taken lightly. The Mountain Hawks lead the NCAA in save and shutout percentage, as well as in goals-against average with 0.32 goals allowed per game.
"It will be a good test for our team," junior goalkeeper Justin Papadakis said. "But we're just going to focus on us, and do what we do best. We've come this far. We're confident in the system."
Even though Duke eased past Brown in the first round of the tournament Wednesday, some of the Blue Devils were disappointed in the way the team performed, especially in the early part of the game.
"I was really unsatisfied with our attitude in the first half," sophomore midfielder Pavelid Castaneda said. "Coming off 10 days of rest, we didn't come out as strong as we needed to."
Head coach John Rennie also said that staying fresh was of paramount importance to the team's postseason success.
"We need to get our touches sharper, but that's natural after 10 days off," Rennie said. "Right now, we are just trying to get our legs back, but of course we will be working on sharpness, working on fitness."
If the Blue Devils can stay sharp, they will further cement their status as the team to beat in the College Cup-especially with the second round upset of third-seeded and top-ranked Southern Methodist. But Duke is not feeling any extra heat.
"We've been on top all year, so there really isn't any added pressure," Castaneda said. "Being in the ACC, we play good teams all year."
One thing that likely will affect the team's performance is playing at home again-an advantage that is sure to give the Blue Devils a boost in the match.
"Playing at home, we've had some great crowds," Papadakis said, referring especially to the packed stands during the team's matchup against North Carolina. "If we had the same level of support on Sunday, that would be invaluable."
Although Duke put the game away well before the closing seconds against Brown, a home crowd will play a more crucial role if the game remains close until the end.
"Especially late in the game, when the team is tired and looking for support, the crowd is fantastic," said Rennie. "We're looking forward to a good crowd on Sunday."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.