On the heels of a 2-1 victory against Georgia State Tuesday, the Blue Devils head into their regular season finale on the road in the hopes of gaining more momentum for the looming ACC tournament.
Duke will take on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Friday at 7 p.m. with the weight of a still-winless road record on its shoulders. The Blue Devils—with six losses and zero wins away from Koskinen Stadium this year—have already clinched a spot in the conference tournament, but a win at Thompson Field would give them a crucial home game in the first round.
“I think we have trouble on the road because we’re a very young team,” senior captain Sean Davis said. “We have a lot of freshmen that are contributors so they're still maturing and these experiences are great for them, but at the same time it really falls on the older guys to come out with intensity and energy.”
The Hokies (7-6-2, 2-4-1 in the ACC) are only a half-game behind Duke (7-8-1, 3-4-0) and Friday's game will be a hotly contested match between two streaky teams. Virginia Tech hasn’t won in its last five contests after rattling off a five-game winning streak midseason. On the other hand, the Blue Devils have just won two in a row—defeating Pittsburgh and Georgia State—after losing five straight contests.
Offensively, the two teams are evenly matched in terms of both shooting and goals scored. Duke has averaged 1.69 goals on 12.9 shots per game and Virginia Tech has scored 1.27 goals on 11.3 shots per game. Leading the team in both shots taken and shots on goal, Blue Devil sophomore forward Brody Huitema became the team’s leading point scorer—with four goals and four assists on the year—against Georgia State. The team will need the Chilliwack, British Columbia native to continue to be aggressive when chances arise.
“Brody’s really stepped it up these last couple of games,” Davis said. "He’s been a real presence on the field. He’s been working for the team and really doing whatever the team needs from him. A lot of guys on the team appreciate him for that and he’s getting rewarded for that with goals. I think his work ethic has increased and in return he’s been able to find the back of the net.”
Davis remains second in the ACC in assists and assists per game as he continues to be the engine that runs the Duke offense. Against Georgia State, Duke took 26 shots—15 of which were on goal—compared to Panthers’s eight. The Blue Devils kept up their offensive pressure throughout the match as the squad played with an aggressiveness that has been missing at times during the season. To secure a home game during the ACC tournament, Duke will have to bring that same energy against Virginia Tech.
“From an offensive standpoint we gained a lot of momentum and I hope we will carry that going forward against Virginia Tech,” Davis said. “It was exemplified by the number of shots we had. We have to be confident and be more critical in the final third.”
The Hokies are led on offense by sophomore forward Som Essome, who has three goals and five assists in 12 games. Virginia Tech has found the back of the net only once in its last five contests, but will look to exploit a porous Duke defense that still ranks last in the ACC in goals conceded with 29.
After taking over for injured goalkeeper Joe Ohaus against Pittsburgh, backup Wilson Fisher stepped in admirably and was rewarded with the start against Georgia State. The senior allowed one goal and recorded three saves in his third start of the season. Regardless of who starts between the pipes Friday, the Duke defense will need to be better prepared for counterattacks and quick transitions from offense to defense, having been caught off guard on multiple occasions this season.
Against Georgia State, after going up 1-0 in the first half, the Duke defense gave up its first shot of the game two minutes later. It was the only shot Georgia State got off in the first half, but the one mistake was all the Panthers needed to tie up the game. Similar defensive lapses after scoring have occurred against Elon, Notre Dame and UNC Wilmington. Duke will need to communicate within the defensive third effectively while the rest of the Blue Devil offense settles back on the defensive end swiftly.
As the regular season draws to a close, the seniors of the team know that their time on the field is quickly coming to an end.
“I'm just trying to enjoy it now," Davis said. "I’m very appreciative of all that this school has done for me and I’m just trying to return the favor on and off the field.”
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