When Blue Devils traveled to Notre Dame for their season opener last fall, Notre Dame forward Ryan Finley—a Duke transfer—spoiled his former team's trip to South Bend when he delivered the game's only goal in a 1-0 win.
Despite Finley's graduation in May, the task doesn't get much easier for Duke this year, as the unranked Blue Devils will have their hands full Friday at 7:30 against an undefeated Notre Dame team that is currently No. 2 in the country. Duke will attempt to gain its first win in ACC play this year as well as its first win ever at Alumni Stadium in South Bend, Ind., where Notre Dame posted a perfect regular-season home record last year.
The Blue Devils (4-2-2, 0-2-1 in the ACC) hope to build on their momentum from a 2-1 comeback win Tuesday against Wright State, a victory that head coach John Kerr described as "very important."
"We had a lackluster first-half performance and dug a hole for ourselves, and we had to dig ourselves out," Kerr said. "Credit to the guys, who put together a really good performance in the second half."
Although Notre Dame (3-0-3, 1-0-2) could pose a tougher challenge, Tuesday's game provided the Duke squad with a sneak peek at what it will be up against Friday. Wright State continually tried to expose the Blue Devils on the counterattack, something Kerr is certain his team will see again in its next contest.
"We've seen some video on Notre Dame, and they're very good going forward, and they really get numbers in the attack," Kerr said. "They really go for those openings right away, so we have to be sure we're on our toes."
Goals may be hard to come by against the Fighting Irish, who led by their aptly named goalkeeper, Patrick Wall, have only allowed 0.5 goals per game in the season thus far.
The Blue Devils scored both of their goals against Wright State off of corner kicks, and their effectiveness on set pieces will be essential against a top-tier team.
"We're very good and dangerous on set pieces," Kerr said. "We're going to get our corner kicks and our free kicks, and if we can knock one or two of them in that'll give us a big boost."
A crucial component of the Duke's recent offensive output has been the improved play of freshman striker Brody Huitema, who was held scoreless in his first five games but has tallied four goals in his past three games. Huitema suffered a head injury in the first half against Wright State, but he was able to return at the start of the second and used his head with great success, nodding home a Seo-In Kim corner to tie the game.
Despite leaving the game again with six minutes to go, Kerr says Huitema's health isn't in question for Friday's showdown.
"He's fine," Kerr said. "It's just a tough flesh wound in the head. He's got a couple stitches, but I think he's okay."
The Fighting Irish are only the second ranked opponent that Duke has faced this season. The Blue Devils lost 3-1 on the road to No. 14 Maryland three weeks ago, but Kerr stressed that this team has grown since that defeat.
"We've really improved many things going forward, many attitudes and approaches to the game, and I think we're making some good strides," Kerr said. "It's still early, but we're progressing for sure."
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