Coming off a rare out-of-conference loss, No. 3 Duke hopes to recover quickly and earn a much-needed conference win Wednesday.
The Blue Devils (6-2, 0-1 in the ACC) dropped a close game at No. 8 Georgetown last week, but welcome ACC rival Virginia Tech to Koskinen Stadium Wednesday at 5 p.m.
The Hokies (4-4, 1-1) come into the game unranked. They have won their last four matches, but have not played well against elite competition so far this year-Virginia Tech lost to No. 2 Virginia by 16 goals early in the season.
The matchup with the Hokies is particularly important for Duke because it has already lost once in conference, a 15-13 defeat to Maryland Feb. 28. Duke has gone 2-1 in its three games since the defeat to the Terrapins, the only blemish being the loss to the Hoyas.
The Blue Devils' ACC schedule includes just five opponents, making each contest meaningful.
The ACC boasts four of the nation's best nine teams-the Cavaliers, Maryland, Duke and North Carolina-and the conference is rounded out by Virginia Tech and Boston College.
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