When Duke and Wake Forest last met, the Blue Devils derailed the Demon Deacons’ chance to play in the NCAA tournament with a victory in the final game of the regular season. This weekend, the stakes are not quite as high, but after slow starts, both teams need to make up lost ground in the conference standings.
Duke (3-4-0, 1-1 in the ACC) will look for its third straight win against Wake Forest (2-3-1, 1-1 ACC) Friday at Koskinen Stadium at 7 p.m.
“Like us, [Wake’s] record defies the reality that they are a very good team,” Duke head coach John Kerr said. “They’re smart, they’re fast, and they’re committed and we have to be up for it physically and mentally.”
Despite outpacing opponents 41-29 in shots on goal this season, the Demon Deacons have only scored four goals in their last six games. After opening the season with two losses and a tie, Wake Forest has won two of three, losing 1-0 to North Carolina in its most recent game.
“The [Demon Deacons] attack with pace,” senior Daniel Tweed-Kent said. “So if we can track their runners and defend consistently for a long period of time we can shut them down, but we need to put the effort into doing that.”
Tweed-Kent also emphasized the importance of avoiding the defensive miscues that have plagued Duke this season.
“We’re just trying to replicate that kind of formation that [Wake Forest] plays and also understand the speed that they play at,” Kerr said. “Part of that challenge is making sure that we maintain the ball and we keep possession.”
This strategy will rely heavily on the developing relationship of strikers junior Andrew Wenger and freshman Nick Palodichuk. Wenger’s tremendous performances in the last two games, with five goals and three assists, put him atop the conference in goals per game and earned him ACC player of the week honors last week.
“We are going to have to be very focused on Andrew Wenger,” Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich said. “I think he is probably, if not the best, one of the top players in the country right now, so we are going to have be able to negate that.”
As Wenger draws more double teams, Palodichuk and senior midfielder Christopher Tweed-Kent will begin to take on greater roles in Duke’s attack.
“I think we are going to have to deal with the work rate of Duke,” Vidovich said. “Their pressing, their ability to put us under pressure and get the ball back.... The level of concentration is going to be very high.”
Wake Forest will also have a freshman making contributions on the offensive end, as rookie midfielder Teddy Mullin leads the team in assists.
“We are a very young team,” Vidovich said. “We are a freshman-sophomore team with a couple of juniors thrown in. They are quality players and it certainly has made an impact and given us more depth. Now they just have to gain enough experience with what it takes to win.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.