Over the course of Duke’s recent unbeaten streak, offense has not been hard to come by. According to Blue Devils head coach John Kerr, however, the squad’s defensive performance had remained a bit uneven.
Duke dispelled any doubts its head coach may have had with a convincing defensive effort in a 1-0 victory at Davidson (4-5-1) Tuesday night. In the process, the Blue Devils (6-4-1) extended their unbeaten streak to six games, further distancing themselves from the disappointing 1-4 start that knocked them out of the top 25.
“We put together a good overall performance tonight,” Kerr said. “We were very much improved defensively. It’s been a long time since we had been able to put together a shutout, and that was something that we were looking to do.”
The shutout was the Blue Devils’ first since August 29 against Furman. Junior goalkeeper James Belshaw anchored the team’s defensive effort with three saves, one of which came on an excellent Wildcat chance in the first half. The shutout was the eighth of Belshaw’s collegiate career.
And while the defensive performance in front of Belshaw was certainly impressive, the team’s offense continued its recent string of dominant showings. While not reflected in the final score, Duke was in control on offense from the get-go, generating a total of 22 shots to Davidson’s nine.
Junior forward Andrew Wenger scored his team-leading 12th goal three minutes into the second half, snapping the scoreless tie and putting the Blue Devils ahead for good.
“We had good buildup on offense the entire first half and did a great job of creating openings,” Kerr said. “But we weren’t clinical with our final passes and final touches until Andrew was able to score for us.”
Kerr described Wenger’s goal as a huge confidence boost for the entire team.
“We were fortunate that [Davidson] had one or two really good chances that they couldn’t convert in the first half, and scoring right away in the second half was really big,” Kerr said.
Duke’s ability to couple dominant offensive and defensive performances will be crucial as the team moves into the heart of ACC play. The Blue Devils will look to extend their unbeaten streak starting Friday in a home matchup against formidable N.C. State.
“We’re in a groove in a good time right now,” Kerr said, “and we feel really good about where we’re at as a team and what we can do.”
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