Tuesday against Virginia Tech, the Blue Devils managed to halt their three-game conference losing streak, but they are still desperately searching for a victory.
No. 24 Duke (7-5-1, 2-3-1 in the ACC) will travel to Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va. to take on No. 10 Virginia (9-3-2, 1-2-2) tonight at 7 p.m. looking for that much-needed win. This is the fourth time in the last 22 days that the Blue Devils have squared off against a top-10 team, but head coach John Rennie is unfazed by the perception that Virginia is the superior team.
"The rankings never have anything to do with anything," Rennie said. "Duke-Virginia is just always a classic battle, and it's a game both teams need. I'm sure it will be another war."
Senior midfielder Michael Videira echoed his coach's sentiment about the level of intensity of a game versus Virginia, even though this year's version could take on a slightly different tenor. Usually the two teams meet while ranked at the top of the national polls but both have struggled recently in conference play.
"It's kind of interesting because the past few years, it has been like us two were the top teams," Videira said. "Now it's still a battle, but it's more for the top end of the ACC."
The Blue Devils are currently in fourth place in the conference and the Cavaliers in sixth, but only two points separate the teams. With only one ACC game left after tonight, Duke does not want more teams to leapfrog it in the standings.
Fortunately for the Blue Devils, they will be back at full strength for this match. Senior defender Tim Jepson will play tonight after leaving the game against the Hokies with a head injury. Junior forward Mike Grella will also return from suspension, but Rennie was quick to downplay the significance of the team's leading scorer's return to the lineup.
"He has not been playing all that well lately," Rennie said of Grella. "We will certainly play him, but some of the other guys did well [Tuesday against Virginia Tech]. It will be good to have Mike back."
Duke will need to find the back of the net in order to keep their conference rivals winless against ranked opponents this year. And if the team needed any additional motivation, senior goalkeeper Justin Papadakis said that the team wants to make Rennie, who is retiring at the end of this season, go out against Virginia with a victory.
A win in a rivalry game is always an extra treat, but the players and coaches both know that any conference win at this point will go a long way toward future success.
"A win is a win in the ACC," Papadakis said. "It does not matter who you are playing. We need those three points. They are crucial to our season."
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