So far, the Blue Devils have had an injury-plagued and inconsistent season-but that may very well change tonight.
And the relief could not have come at a better time.
After surrendering the most goals it has all season in a 4-2 loss to Boston College Oct. 5, Duke will be bolstered by the return of defender Tim Jepson tonight against North Carolina (3-3-4, 1-2-0 in the ACC).
The senior co-captain has been out for six weeks with a hamstring injury and has not played yet this year. Jepson will replace freshman Christian Ibeagha in the starting lineup for the Blue Devils (7-3-0, 2-1-0) at 8:30 p.m. at Fetzer Field.
"Christian has done an incredible job back there," head coach John Rennie said. "But you take out a freshman and put in your senior captain, it's going to make a difference."
Duke hopes Jepson's presence leads to greater consistency. The Blue Devils have had an up-and-down year, and the long-awaited return of their veteran leader could be just what they need-especially against the rival Tar Heels. In the last three Duke-North Carolina contests, one total goal has been scored-an own goal by the Tar Heels in the Blue Devils' 2006 victory.
"They're always close games," Rennie said. "Having a senior captain leader back there is huge for us. You can make adjustments for several games with a huge player-a very important player-out, but after awhile it starts to wear on you. And it has worn on us."
Although Duke does not know how long Jepson will be able to play, he will start and go for as long as he can. Rennie said that even if Jepson can only play for a half, he would rather it be the first.
"I'll probably be running off pure adrenaline," Jepson said. "It's definitely a plus that I get to come back for UNC."
As welcome as his soccer skills will be, Jepson's leadership may be even more important in what is sure to be a charged game in Chapel Hill. At times, the Blue Devils' lack of a defensive leader has been apparent.
"Timmy brings a great personality back to the team," senior goalkeeper Justin Papadakis said. "Having him back...brings not only a lot of talent to the field, but a big presence."
Jepson and the Blue Devils, however, will be going up against a very different North Carolina team than they have seen the last few years. The Tar Heels have nine new players this year and return just six starters from 2006.
"This Duke team hasn't played against this Carolina team," Rennie said. "They're a very good possession team-that won't change. We like to play the same way, so it's going be who ends up getting more possession of the ball is going to have more chances."
The Tar Heels are unranked, but the Blue Devils are not taking their archrivals lightly. They know that North Carolina is a talented team and that anything can happen in a rivalry game, especially one of the greatest in college sports, Rennie said.
For many players, this game is one of the main reasons they came to Duke.
"We could both be ranked No. 1 and 2, we could both be out of the top 25-it doesn't matter," Jepson said. "It's still going to be exciting, and it's going to be a great game, to say the least."
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