In a showdown featuring the potent Boston College offense and the stingy Duke defense, the Blue Devils travel north in search of their second ACC win.
Boston College (3-4-1, 1-2-1 in the ACC), losers of three of its past four matches, presents a dangerous challenge for Duke when the teams face off at 7 p.m. Friday at Newton Campus Field.
Led by reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year Alejandro Bedoya, the Eagles look to right the ship at home and live up to their reputation as a formidable opponent.
But the Blue Devils (5-3-1, 1-1-1) feel more than confident that they can overcome and continue their recent defensive excellence.
"This will be a difficult game," head coach John Kerr said. "B.C. is talented and in need of a victory. The crowd will be electric, and the opponent will be aggressive. But if we continue to play to our defensive standards, we can win this game."
Though struggling, the Eagles' offense features a depth of talent. Bedoya, the team's leading scorer, features prominently in the Blue Devils' plan for success, as they aim to create problems for the potent midfielder.
"We need to focus our attention on containing Bedoya," senior defender Graham Dugoni said. "The offense runs through him. He sets up a lot of their goals so if we can slow him down, we can have a better chance for success."
After experiencing a slow start to the season, the defense has only allowed two goals in the past six contests because of a more suffocating pursuit in which all the players now work in a more fluid manner. Improved defensive shifting and a growing familiarity with each other's tendencies mark two big reasons the Blue Devils continue to baffle opposing offenses.
"Coach has been preaching that we should constantly apply pressure on teams," Dugoni said. "We haven't really changed much in our philosophy from the beginning of the season. The change is due mainly to the fact that we all now feel more comfortable in the system with each other."
An interesting change the Blue Devils will need to manage is the fast artificial turf.
To adapt, the team spent a couple of practices on the accelerated surface this past week in order to better prepare for the quicker pace at which the ball travels as compared to regular grass.
"We'll let the ball do the work," senior forward Nick Sih said. "We'll have to focus on playing into the feet instead of the open space. Defensively, this means that we need to create high pressure in order to force their players into making mistakes."
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