This is not how the Blue Devils wanted to enter their matchup against No. 1 Wake Forest.
Duke hoped to get back on track against Florida Atlantic Tuesday after falling to North Carolina last Friday. Instead, the Blue Devils were outworked by the Owls en route to a 2-1 loss and now enter their match at Wake Forest Saturday at 7 p.m. still searching for answers.
Duke (6-5-1, 2-2-1 in the ACC) faces a monumental challenge against Wake Forest (13-0, 4-0). The Demon Deacons have held the top spot in the rankings all season long, and they are unbeaten in their last 29 games at home.
Despite Wake Forest's status atop the polls, the Blue Devils have treated the nation's top-ranked team like any other.
"You can't approach the game very differently, regardless of who you're playing," senior Pavelid Castaneda said. "It's going to be a big-time challenge, but I don't think we change anything we've been doing all season."
After two straight losses at home in which Duke's players acknowledged they were "outworked" by the opposing team, they will need to step up the effort against Wake Forest-or it might be a long night.
The Demon Deacons average three and a half goals per game, outscoring their opponents 48-8 this season. A powerful transition game fuels their potent offense-they look forward as soon as they win the ball.
The key to slowing down the Wake Forest offense is getting numbers behind the ball.
"When we lose the ball, we have to prevent them from attacking us right away," Kerr said. "If we can do that, we can make life more difficult for them."
Duke's own transition game will be critical in defending against Wake Forest. The Blue Devils must make the switch from offense to defense quickly to stay with the Demon Deacons, Kerr said.
Down a few players to injuries, Duke has had trouble finding an offensive rhythm in its last three contests. Senior Mike Grella has contributed five of the Blue Devils' seven goals since their match against Stony Brook Sept. 30.
To take the strain off of Grella, Duke must get more players active on the attacking end.
"Players need to get open a little bit quicker and earlier, and we're not doing that right now," Kerr said. "We win the ball, and one or two guys are working hard around the ball, but the rest of the guys aren't seeking areas of the field to exploit... we have to do a little bit better job of that."
It would be a start.
The Blue Devils have not played their best soccer in their last few outings. To beat the best, they will need to give a better all-around effort Saturday.
"We've been kind of disappointed with... the performances we've had the last three games, the soccer we've been playing and the type of effort we've been giving," Castaneda said. "We just want to have a good performance, and whether that means winning or losing, we want to go out there, give a maximum effort and try to play a good game of soccer for the full 90 minutes."
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