The Blue Devils, fresh off an emotional match against Virginia, in which they battled back in the game’s final minutes to force a tie against the defending national champions, hope to continue their unbeaten streak today. They will try to accomplish that by taking a break from ACC play and hosting George Washington (1-3-0) tonight at 7 p.m. in Koskinen Stadium.
After playing its second overtime game in eight days, No. 8 Duke (1-0-2) will try to overcome both the physical and emotional toll of the past week. Despite the difference between the No. 2 team in the country and the less-renowned Colonials, head coach John Kerr realizes the implications of this game.
“There’s always problems with having a midweek game following a highly regarded match,” Kerr said. “The challenge is bringing it again because they’re going to come ready to play.”
George Washington boasts a proficient attack, having scored seven goals in its past two games. It is led by striker Seth Rudolph, a sophomore who earned Atlantic 10 player of the week honors following his eight-point week, including a hat trick during a loss against Mount St. Mary’s Saturday. Rudolph is George Washington’s leading scorer and has amassed four goals this season, but Kerr is more concerned with Duke’s play.
“We have a lot of respect for what Seth has done this season, but I’m more focused on how our team performs,” he said.
The Duke defense is anchored by the reigning ACC player of the week, James Belshaw. The sophomore keeper has given up only two goals all season, thanks in part to help received from a solid back line.
“We returned the same back four from last season, so they have experience playing together which translates to confidence on the field,” Kerr said.
On the attack, the Duke offense starts with striker Ryan Finley, who leads the Blue Devils with four goals, including some late game heroics against Virginia last weekend with a goal in the 88th minute.
“Obviously every team needs a striker, and ours is Ryan,” Kerr said. “He can make things happen with the ball and provide for our other players.”
The development of freshmen Jonathan Aguirre and Rob Dolot has also helped add a new dimension to the Duke offense. The continued progression for Duke’s complementary attacking players will be needed if teams focus more attention defensively on Finley. Dolot scored his first career goal as a Blue Devil Saturday, and Aguirre repeatedly pressured the Virginia defense with several runs leading to scoring opportunities for Duke.
“Dolot has been kind of a diamond in the rough for us,” Kerr said. “He played well against Virginia, and happened to be in the right place at the right time and was able to put one in. Some players just have a knack for that.”
George Washington will turn to its keeper, junior Jake Davis, to keep the Blue Devils out of the net. The Colonials have allowed 2.5 goals per game, including six in the past two, a 4-2 win over Longwood and a 4-3 loss at Mount St. Mary’s.
Although Duke hopes to continue its solid start when ACC play resumes, Kerr refuses to look past Tuesday’s game.
“We’re excited about the upcoming conference games, but first we have the game Tuesday. We need to take care of this one first.”
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