Heading into its first away game of the regular season tonight at 7 p.m. against UNC-Wilmington, Duke seems to have hit its stride.
The No. 12 Blue Devils (5-2) are still reveling in their thrilling 2-1 overtime win over ACC foe Maryland in front of a crowd of more than 5,000 Saturday at Koskinen Stadium.
"It's important to enjoy [this win]," goalie Justin Papadakis said after the game. "It was a great performance and a great crowd, which made for a fantastic evening. So we enjoy this tonight and tomorrow we need to start focusing on our next game."
It will be a test, however, for Duke to carry the energy and excitement of its latest, and arguably most impressive, win into its match against the Seahawks (1-4-1)-a weaker non-conference opponent that will try to play a slower, stingier game to hinder the normally fast-paced Blue Devil style.
"They're going to sit back and defend, and you have to score goals," head coach John Rennie said. "They're very well-organized, a very physical team, and they'll have a plan-and the plan is probably going to be to sit in and counter-attack with corner kicks, free-kicks, throw-ins.... so that's going to be the way the game will be played and it's up to us to score goals."
UNC-Wilmington has struggled this season, collecting just one win while averaging a mere 8.7 shots per game. The Seahawks, however, surprised Duke last year when they served the team with its first loss of the season in a 1-0 victory in Durham Sept. 19.
Duke, on the other hand, is a contender for the national championship and is an offensive machine this year. The Blue Devils have taken 163 shots in seven games, outshooting their opponents by 104 attempts. On top of that, the squad has managed to put 14 goals in the net, which places them among the top-25 scoring offenses in the country.
And although the Blue Devils try to approach each game with level heads, they are brimming with confidence.
"We're not going to be more cautious [against UNC-Wilmington]," senior midfielder Zack Pope said. "You have to respect every team you play, week-in and week-out, and obviously you can't overlook that game because of the result we had last year. But if we play our game, there's not really any team that can stay with us."
If Duke can avoid being slowed down or tripped up-as it was in its loss to Villanova Sept. 7-and finish its scoring opportunities, the team should have no trouble taking down the Seahawks.
"We need to make sure that we dictate the game," Papadakis said, "If we can do that, we'll come away with the right result."
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