Following a week dominated by missed opportunities and unsatisfying play, No. 12 Duke returns home needing to regain its early-season rhythm. One of the 11 top-25 teams to suffer a defeat to an unranked opponent over the weekend, the Blue Devils must recover quickly to claw back among the ACC’s elite.
Duke (5-2-0) takes on Southern Conference foe Elon (3-3-1) at Koskinen Stadium tonight at 7 p.m. The Blue Devils have swept the all-time series 7-0, but Duke head coach John Kerr cautioned that the Phoenix is no pushover.
“We played Elon last year at their place and they gave us a real tough game,” Kerr said. “They come here with a lot of pride, and I think they’re going to try to come after us.”
In fact, the Phoenix has already proven their worth against two ACC opponents, defeating Clemson 2-0 and suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat at No. 6 Wake Forest. Elon boasts a stingy defense that has given up only one goal in its past four games, which is sure to give a recently-inept Blue Devil offense fits—Duke has scored just three goals in its last four games. However, Kerr believes his team is ready to break out of its recent funk.
“We added a little bit more finishing to our sessions, and crossing and shooting, and we also had breakaways today,” Kerr said. “That’s repitition and confidence.”
Confidence is exactly what Duke has lacked of late, boasting strong defense and dribbling skills but showcasing an inability to finish scoring opportunities.
As a result, the Blue Devils often find themselves trailing late in games that they appear to have dominated. Despite their recent issues, though, Kerr remains confident that bad luck and exceptional goalkeeping have magnified Duke’s minor flaws.
“I felt if we were to have scored one goal the other night we would have had four,” Kerr said.
At times the Blue Devils look like one of the country’s elite programs, controlling and moving the ball efficiently. However, Duke will need to improve very quickly if it is to compete with the nation’s best. While Elon is not a top-tier opponent, its staunch defense will test the newly-tweaked Duke offense before No. 4 Maryland comes to town Friday night in a crucial ACC contest.
In what earlier in the year may have been considered a potential “trap” game, tonight’s matchup has become all the more important due to the Blue Devils’ recent offensive struggles. Kerr hopes his team can get on track early and maximize each opportunity it gets.
“If we can score a couple of goals early we could really take advantage of our home-field advantage and our strengths,” Kerr said.
True, if Duke can score early its defense should have no trouble holding the Pheonix off for the rest of regulation, but if the Blue Devils are forced to come from behind yet again, the results could be disastrous.
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