Before its game tonight against the No. 2 Demon Deacons, the Blue Devils will honor the 29-year career of John Rennie, the fifth-winningest head coach in Division-I history and the man who led Duke to its first national title in any sport.
Fueled by the success of the veteran coach and a stacked senior class, the No. 17 Blue Devils entered this season as the fourth-ranked team in the country and with high championship hopes.
So when Duke (7-4-0, 2-2 in the ACC) faces off against Wake Forest (10-0-2, 3-0-1) looking to end a two-game losing streak on senior night at 7 p.m. in Koskinen Stadium, it means a lot-for Rennie, for the seniors and for the team's postseason chances.
The Blue Devil seniors, in particular, felt the gravity of their situation, meeting outside of normal practice hours to discuss their team's recent struggles and to ensure that they were at their best coming into senior night-their game.
"We discussed the losses, and I think we really came up with a good game plan for approaching this next stretch," goalkeeper Justin Papadakis said. "One strength of this team is the amount of senior and upperclass leadership, so I think coming together as one and brainstorming, we were able to put up a united front to place the rest of the team on the right track despite the difficult circumstances we've had the last two games."
Duke's last two losses have come to ACC opponents-a 4-2 loss against Boston College Oct. 5 and a double-overtime 1-0 defeat at North Carolina Oct. 11.
Despite the outcome of those two contests, Duke is still ranked among the top-10 scoring offenses nationally and, with senior Tim Jepson back for his second start to bolster the defense, the team can expect to get back into a better rhythm with its veteran leader.
"We haven't gotten the results that we've wanted and this game is a great opportunity to play against a good team, a nice chance to measure ourselves," assistant coach Mike Jeffries said. "There's a little bit of frustration. We feel like we're better than the results that have come our way-it's a tough game on that end-and we want to put on a better show."
The Blue Devils, however, will have their hands full with the Demon Deacons, one of the most well-rounded teams in the nation.
With an offense that is ranked third in the country and a defense ranked sixth, Wake Forest poses a huge challenge for Duke. Leading the powerful offense are freshman midfielder Corben Bone and sophomore forward Cody Arnoux, who have each averaged over 1.5 points per game.
"They're a very good team," Jeffries said. "They move the ball really well, they have a lot of good technical players. They've been able to stay well enough organized defensively that they've kept games tight and then they've got enough creative guys to make a play to score a goal."
On top of that, Wake Forest has plenty of motivation.
Last year, the Blue Devils had two wins by just a single goal against the Demon Deacons-one in the regular season and one in the ACC championship-and Duke expects this season's game to be just as close.
"It's been a crazy game every year-just one of those games, like the Carolina game in a sense, where it's just one goal [that matters]," senior forward Spencer Wadsworth said. "But we're not intimidated by any means. We know they're a good team, and we have to respect them."
With the level of talent on this team and expectations it has for itself, the Blue Devils should not feel intimidated by any opponent, particularly on an evening celebrating all their accomplishments.
Senior night ceremonies along with the celebration of Rennie's career and retirement will start approximately 10 minutes before kickoff in Koskinen.
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