When the Blue Devils face off against Clemson tonight at Historic Riggs Field, in a way they will be looking two weeks into their past.
That is because the Tigers (3-4-1, 0-2-0 in the ACC), like Duke during its recent struggles, have been unable to put the ball in the net despite having many scoring opportunities. Clemson has gone 0-2-1 in its last three games while mustering just two goals on 52 shots.
"They've not gotten the results they've expected but have been playing pretty well," Duke assistant coach Mike Jeffries said. "A different record, but a little bit like us in that they've been competitive in a lot of games but haven't found a way to win and to get the goals. We can empathize with that story."
Just as the Tigers were entering their drought, the No. 7 Blue Devils (6-2-0, 1-0-0) were leaving theirs. After dropping two of three games in mid-September, Duke has amassed nine goals in winning its last three matches-including a double-overtime victory over conference rival Maryland Sunday and a 5-0 offensive explosion against UNC-Wilmington Tuesday.
"Of course, there's that time during the season... where you feel like things don't always go your way," defender Darrius Barnes said. "The defense isn't always clicking with the offense, but we're starting to come along. We're starting to hit our stride and get our rhythm."
The Blue Devils' rejuvenation on offense could not have come at a better time. Tonight's game marks the first in a line of six straight ACC contests, including back-to-back matches against North Carolina and No. 1 Wake Forest and a matchup with fourth-ranked Virginia.
But Duke is not looking ahead to playing a top-five team or its archrival. It is focused only on the Tigers.
"We've definitely got to respect our opponent, no matter who it is," Barnes said. "Every ACC team's going to be tight-there's no easy games in the ACC. We have to bring our 'A' game every time we come out."
The Blue Devils especially know they cannot look past Clemson. The Tigers have won three of the last four meetings in the series, including the previous two. At the end of the regular season last year, the Blue Devils lost 1-0 in Clemson, S.C. The game was physical, highlighted by 32 fouls and seven yellow cards-a trend Duke expects to continue tonight.
"That's Clemson-that's what we expect from them," Jeffries said. "We'll try to put our stamp on the game and play the way we want to play.... We'll set the tone and not get caught up in a WWF game."
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