When the No. 17 Blue Devils take on No. 5 Virginia Tech tonight, it will be the second consecutive game in which they take on an ACC opponent ranked among the top five teams in the country.
Both the Hokies and Wake Forest, which took down Duke 3-0 last Friday, were also among the top-five scoring squads nationally.
"Every team is ranked," head coach John Rennie said of his team's schedule. "Virgnia's ranked, Virginia Tech's ranked, Wake Forest is ranked, pretty much every team in the league is ranked. So that's not the issue. We have to get this behind us and do a better job [against Virginia Tech]."
The two teams play at 7 p.m. in Koskinen Stadium and both the Hokies and the Blue Devils (7-5-0, 2-3-0 in the ACC) are desperate for conference wins.
Virginia Tech (8-1-4, 2-0-3) is still undefeated this season in ACC play but needs a victory to compete with the Demon Deacons and Boston College for a spot among the top two squads in the conference.
Duke, on the other hand, is looking to get its season back on track and end a three-game losing streak against ACC foes in which it has been outscored 8-2. But even after a disappointing loss last Friday night, the Blue Devils are optimistic and determined.
"The ball's not bouncing our way right now, but when it does, the country's going to have to watch out for Duke because we're a strong team and we're getting better each game," senior Justin Papadakis said. "We have a great game every week, week-in and week-out. That's what keeps us going after a big loss. We have to focus and get ready for the next one. Virginia Tech is just as important as Wake."
The Hokies will be no less of a challenge, either. They have garnered a 12-game unbeaten streak so far this year and rank third among the nation's top offenses, averaging almost 2.5 goals per game.
The last time the Blue Devils played Virginia Tech, the game ended in a scoreless draw. But with the development of forward Patrick Nyarko, whom Rennie described as a game-winner, and the addition of a few international players to their roster, the Hokies are much-improved compared to last season.
On top of that, the Blue Devils will play with somewhat of a handicap.
Duke will go without star forward Mike Grella, tied as the team's leading goal scorer, after he received a red card late in the contest against Wake Forest.
Matches like this, however, are a good test of a squad's character, Rennie said. His players agreed.
"Every game in the ACC is going to be difficult, but it's just another game," senior defender Tim Jepson said. "It's one more game. You can't look forward to anything past that. You've got to prepare for this game like anything else and we'll bounce back."
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