Duke men's soccer hopes to follow up upset with road win against UNC Wilmington

It’s tough to match the intensity accompanied with knocking off the nation’s top-ranked team, but the Blue Devils will attempt to do just that Tuesday.

After pulling off a major upset Friday night against rival and then-No. 1 North Carolina, Duke will return to action Tuesday night against UNC Wilmington. The Blue Devils will travel within state lines in search of their first road win of the year, as they head to UNCW Soccer Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff versus the Seahawks.

Duke will be looking to reverse a recent trend against UNC Wilmington, who has slipped by the Blue Devils 2-1 in each of the last two seasons.

“We have a lot of motivation to get things right this time,” head coach John Kerr said. “It’s not going to be easy away from home, in their place, with their fans. They’re a very talented group and they’re organized and mature. So we understand the challenge ahead, and we’re taking it very seriously.”

Aside from defeating an opponent who has had its number recently, Duke (3-2-1) is looking to use its exciting win Friday as a springboard toward playing at a consistently high level as the thick of the schedule approaches. The Blue Devils had plenty to celebrate this weekend after defeating a No. 1 team for the first time in Kerr’s seven-year reign, but he is making sure that his team keeps the proper perspective, reminding them that their season has had its share of lows as well as highs.

“I reminded the players that we mustn’t forget about our performances at Louisville [a 5-0 loss] and SMU [a 3-1 defeat],” Kerr said. “We can’t forget that was a team that played and didn’t perform particularly well. We’re capable [of playing well] and we proved that against North Carolina on Friday, but we have to make sure that we maintain our standards in our preparation.”

Putting together back-to-back wins will not be an easy contest against UNC Wilmington (5-1-1), which comes into the game riding a three-game winning streak that features victories against two ranked opponents—a 2-1 triumph against then-No. 17 South Carolina and a 1-0 defeat of then-No. 25 Campbell. All but one of the Seahawks’ games this season have been decided by one goal or less, so the Blue Devils can be sure to expect another tight match Tuesday.

UNC Wilmington—much like the Tar Heels—is a very defensive-minded squad, having yielded just six goals on the year, and no more than two in any single game. Duke’s offensive attack came alive in the second half Friday, notching two goals against a Tar Heel defense that had allowed just two all season. Senior captain Sean Davis stepped up with a goal and an assist in that second half—including a beautiful free kick from 25 yards out—and will continue to direct the Blue Devil offense against another quality defense.

“[Davis] is huge. He’s the heartbeat of the team, along with Zach Mathers,” Kerr said. “He’s a big proponent of making sure that our pulse is going in the right direction and [the offense] has a lot to do with him for sure.”

Although the Seahawks have slowed down Duke’s offense in the past, the Blue Devils have an array of new weapons that may give them an advantage in the attacking zone. Freshman Cameron Moseley scored the game-winner Friday for his ACC-leading fifth goal of the season, and two of his fellow classmates—Jeremy Ebobisse and Markus Fjørtoft—start at forward, giving Duke a different look up front than the one the Seahawks are accustomed to facing.

Kerr is hoping that these new faces will present UNC Wilmington with difficult tactical and strategic decisions. But regardless of how the defense plays them, he is confident that his players will be aggressive and put balls in the back of the net.

“I’m not sure how [the Seahawks are] going to approach the game,” Kerr said. “I’m sure they’re going to want to get their defense right in terms of our weapons and make sure that they do the best to keep them in a neutral position. But we have other ideas. We want to get behind them, we want to make them work, we want to challenge them and put them under pressure.”