Coming off a season in which the Blue Devils often struggled to put the ball in the net, Duke had no such problems Sunday.
Luis Rendon, Sean Davis and Nick Palodichuk each scored a goal as the Blue Devils defeated Cincinnati 3-0 in the team’s first scrimmage of the spring. Head coach John Kerr said increased offensive output has been a point of emphasis thus far in training.
“We had a good season last year in terms of defending and keeping scores down low, but our mindset this spring is to be more creative in the final third [of the field], create more openings and execute in terms of our chances,” Kerr said.
Duke got on the board midway through the first half, when the Bearcat goalkeeper misjudged a cross, leaving his feet to jump for the ball. He came down on top of another player and fell to the ground, leaving an open net for Rendon, a freshman forward, to calmly give the Blue Devils a 1-0 edge. Slotnick also helped create the Blue Devils’ second goal. He attacked down the right side of the field, then passed across to his classmate, Davis. The Holmdel, N.J. native took a few dribbles to his left before sneaking a shot into the lower left corner of the goal underneath the lunging Cincinnati goalie.
Duke carried a 2-0 advantage into halftime and wasted no time adding to that margin in the second half. After forcing a turnover at the midfield line, Duke lofted a ball over the top of the Bearcat defense. Palodichuk outraced his defenders to the ball and buried a shot in the top left corner of the net.
Kerr said he was happy with Palodichuk’s performance. The sophomore was injured for much of last season, seeing action in just 10 games for Duke. “It was good to see [him] in bits and pieces where he could really shine,” Kerr said. “He shows he’s got a lot of quality in him with him getting back fit.”
Rendon and other Blue Devils had a couple shots on goal to try to add to the lead later in the half, but were stymied by a new Cincinnati goalie.
Defensively, Duke continued its success from last season, frustrating opponents and winning challenges against the Bearcat midfielders and forwards.
“[Cincinnati] had one or two opportunities midway through the first half, but after that I don’t remember them having a shot on goal or any real dangerous chances,” Kerr said. “I thought we controlled the midfield, I thought we controlled the attacking third, so it was overall a dominating performance.”
The 2013 squad will be a seasoned group. Last year’s team had just one senior, goalkeeper James Belshaw, who was selected in January’s MLS supplemental draft.
The competition to replace Belshaw—a four-year starter—in the net will be fierce, Kerr said. Freshman Chad Bush got the starting nod and saw most of the minutes Sunday, but sophomore Wilson Fisher finished out the game for the Blue Devils. The third Duke goalie, junior Alex Merrill, was unable to play due to injury.
“[The position is] always open,” Kerr said. “Every player’s never guaranteed a spot, so this spring it is going to be an effort to find out where we stand at the end and ready for preseason.”
Duke’s next scrimmage will be Wednesday against the Carolina Railhawks, a professional team in the North American Soccer League.
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