Although they have had no shortage of scoring opportunities this fall, the Blue Devils will need to be more efficient.
Duke returns home to play Georgia Southern at Koskinen Stadium 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Blue Devils (1-1-1) led 1-0 against No. 14 Maryland last weekend until three Terrapin goals in just 12 minutes put the upset out of reach.
“We took a lot of good things from the Maryland game, because we did a lot of things well,” Blue Devil head coach John Kerr said. “We scored the first goal and then we had three chances to go up 2-0 before they scored. Unfortunately we couldn’t convert.”
Duke faces a Georgia Southern team that is coming off a spirited 2-1 comeback win over Gardner-Webb. The Eagles (1-1) fell behind early but fought back to win and finish second in the SoCon/Big South challenge.
The Blue Devils will have to watch out for Georgia Southern’s veteran Witt Carlisle, who has the potential to be a serious difference maker. Entering the 2013 campaign as the Eagles’ leading goal scorer, the redshirt senior forward had a hat trick during a preseason contest against Central Florida and has already scored once this season.
“They have two or three very good players,” Kerr said. “But at the same time, I’m really concerned with what we’re doing and how we approach the game. I feel that if we go about the game properly, I think you’ll see some good soccer, and we’ll put some balls in the back of the net.”
The Blue Devils will hope that their defense, which struggled in the second half against the Terrapins, focuses and returns to its 2012 form. That unit allowed just 13 goals in its 18 matches last season, but has already given up four goals in three contests this year.
“It’s a good opportunity tomorrow night against Georgia Southern to get a lot of things right,” Kerr said. “We’re not taking anything for granted…and we have to be on our toes.”
One of the members of that defensive unit, newcomer goalkeeper Alex Long, has impressed despite the number of goals Duke has relinquished.
“He’s done a really good job in transition from his old team to here at Duke,” Kerr said. “He’s got a lot of good qualities, and Friday night against Maryland was not his best game. Hopefully he can bounce back and give a solid performance, and get a shutout and move forward.”
To compensate for its weaker defensive showing so far, Duke will need to improve its shooting. The Blue Devils have taken 47 shots, including putting 17 on goal, but they have only found the net four times, one of which was a Sean Davis penalty kick.
The Blue Devils will need a few more of those shots to cross the line against an Eagles defense that has conceded 1.5 goals per game so far. Duke currently has a surprising goal-scoring co-leader in Davis, whose two goals so far have doubled his career goal output. Zach Mathers, the Blue Devils’ other leading goal scorer, will look to regain the form that saw him win the MVP award in the John Rennie Nike Invitational two weeks ago.
Another Blue Devil who has started strong is freshman Brody Huitema. He already has an assist on the year and his 11 shots on goal this season are third in the ACC just ahead of teammate Davis’ 10.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.