Last year, Duke’s season ended abruptly in the first round of the NCAA tournament, as the Blue Devils were upset by UNC-Greensboro 2-0 at Koskinen Stadium. Tonight at 7 p.m. in Koskinen, the No. 9 Blue Devils look for vengeance against the Spartans.
Both teams are reeling after suffering tough defeats last week. Duke (7-4) fell to Davidson and N.C. State, while UNC-Greensboro (3-6-3) is looking to shake off losses to Wake Forest and College of Charleston. Despite his team’s recent struggles, however, junior defender Christian Ibeagha believes in his team’s new game plan.
“It’s a brand new mentality, brand new approach to the game,” Ibeagha said. “If we come with that brand new approach, we should come away with a win on Tuesday.”
The Spartans are led by forward Thomas Campbell, who paces the team with seven points. He will be flanked on the attack by Matt Foxx and E.J. O’Keefe, who have accounted for two goals each.
The game’s key matchup, however, figures to be between Duke’s attack and the Spartan defense. UNC-Greensboro has given up a whopping 20 goals on the year, including seven in its last three games, while the Blue Devils were only able to find the back of the net once last week.
In fact, Duke’s success thus far has been defined by the consistency of its defense. And while the offense has shown flashes of brilliance—highlighted by a win over defending national champion Maryland two weeks ago—it has struggled to sustain the effort. Tonight’s game presents a chance for the Blue Devils to find chemistry between their midfielders and their forwards before they head back into ACC play.
“We have an opportunity to get back to winning ways,” Duke head coach John Kerr said. “This is a chance to get back to the same kind of level we played against Maryland.”
The Spartans’ shaky defense presents a chance for the Blue Devils to experiment with different game plans for the rest of this season. With a crucial regular-season matchup against No. 6 Wake Forest coming up and postseason play fast approaching, Duke must find its rhythm quickly.
Last year’s loss will serve the Blue Devils well tonight, as they know not to underestimate the Spartans’ ability. While UNC-Greensboro has not yet begun to match its performance from last season, the Blue Devils know firsthand how dangerous the Spartans are. Duke returns 17 players from last year’s team, and Ibeagha asserts that the squad is much improved.
“We’ve come a long way from last season.” Ibeagha said. “We watched tape of the way our team played last year and this year, and it’s night and day.”
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