Stony Brook does not play in the ACC, and its 2-7-1 record is nothing to boast about.
But the Blue Devils know they will have their hands full with the Seawolves Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Koskinen Stadium.
No. 9 Akron beat Stony Brook on a goal with only nine seconds remaining last weekend, continuing Stony Brook's string of 1-0 losses to top-ranked teams. The Seawolves have lost to No. 5 Connecticut and No. 24 Georgetown by the same score.
"We saw some of their games. They're playing real tight games against stiff opposition," head coach John Kerr said. "They proved against good teams that they can hold them down to low-scoring games."
And to counter Stony Brook's defensive strategy, the Blue Devils (4-3-1) welcome back the return of senior forward Mike Grella, who was suspended for Duke's 0-0 tie with Clemson Friday because of his red card from the previous game.
Grella will play a key role in enhancing the Duke offense, which has had trouble finding the back of the net in recent games.
"We are going to concentrate a little bit more on that final pass, that final shot so that it gets to the destination of the back of the net," Kerr said. "We created a lot of good opportunities for ourselves against Clemson, but we weren't able to capitalize on them and hopefully we'll be a little bit sharper against Stony Brook."
The Blue Devil offense has certainly shown its potential, and the midfielders and forwards cohesively work together. Yet they still have not been able to beat the goalie.
An inability to take advantage of opportunities has been an unfortunate undertone to the season. The Blue Devils average 15 shots per game, but only 1.62 goals per contest.
And that need will only be intensified tonight against the stingy Seawolves defense. Given Stony Brook's track record, just one goal might suffice.
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