After years of prolonged success under former head coach John Rennie, Duke's new era under John Kerr finally kicks off this weekend-and the 1986 Hermann Trophy winner and Duke graduate could hardly ask for a more challenging start.
The Blue Devils, unranked in the preseason after three straight years in the top 10, begin their season tonight against No. 7 Indiana, and take on No. 3 Notre Dame Sunday as part of the IU Classic in Bloomington, Ind.
"I've been waiting for this opportunity for a very long time, and it's kind of ironic that it's coming full circle back to Indiana," Kerr said. "My first collegiate soccer game for Duke was against Indiana, my first collegiate assistant coaching opportunity came at Indiana, and now my first opportunity to be head coach for Duke comes at Indiana, so it's kind of an interesting prospect."
Preparations for the opener have not gone as smoothly as was hoped. Because of a difficult travel schedule, the team left Durham Wednesday afternoon but had to spend the night in Detroit before arriving in Bloomington Thursday morning.
On the injury front, though, Duke is far less turbulent. The Blue Devils are fairly healthy, but a broken bone will sideline senior defender and co-captain Graham Dugoni for at least another week, if not longer. Dugoni has already undergone surgery for his foot and is recovering well, but will not be available for the clashes with the Hoosiers and the Fighting Irish.
Without their starting center back, the already inexperienced Duke will have to rely even more on its younger players, including freshman forward Kyle Bethel and defender Ian Kalis, who will both start Friday.
The most important player for Duke to keep a close eye on will be Hoosiers midfielder Brad Ring, a senior and 2007 Hermann Trophy semifinalist.
"Brad is our 'hub,'" Indiana head coach Mike Freitag said. "He is one of the best ball winners in the college game and is also an outstanding attacking player. Brad is well-rounded and a player I think will be on many National Player of the Year lists."
And preventing Ring from directing the Indiana attack will essentially be Pavelid Castaneda's top priority. The defensive midfielder's usual responsibilities include maintaining possession of the ball and winning it back when the Blue Devils make mistakes, and those two skills will be crucial if Duke hopes to stay in the game against the highly regarded Hoosiers.
But for Duke, the best form of defense just might be offense. Kerr's newly installed system relies on getting midfielders and defenders forward, setting up opportunities for goals on crosses and set pieces.
In addition, preseason All-American Mike Grella is back with something to prove after a relatively disappointing year. Grella led the team in scoring for the second straight season in 2007, but he will have to be one of the nation's very best for the Blue Devils to compete with the country's top teams as they are accustomed. Especially with Bethel partnering him up front, Grella's importance to this team is unquestionable.
Taking on two top-10 teams in one weekend is never easy, and such a prospect could be particularly daunting for a young squad like Duke. And though Kerr preached patience and said that a bad weekend "would not be the end of the world," Castaneda is hoping for a quicker start to the year.
"We know we are big underdogs," he said. "But we are coming in here to get results, not just moral victories."
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