With its season hanging in the balance, Duke made a change to its jersey. Since then, the results have been pretty in pink.
Since donning pink uniforms Oct. 16, the Blue Devils have gone on a five-game winning streak to not only earn their way into the ACC championship, but also gain home-field advantage in their first-round game against Louisville Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium. Although it is nice that wearing the pink jerseys has been concurrent with the team’s recent success, the jerseys themselves have a much deeper meaning.
“It’s for a good cause,” Duke head coach John Kerr said. “We lost one of the special members of our Duke soccer family. Micah Gaus has passed away and so it’s a representation of our thoughts to support cancer research. We have a big thought process for him and his family and we’re winning because of that.”
Gaus, 10, passed away Aug. 29 after a five-year battle with cancer. He had been been one of the Duke's most dedicated supporters and was offered a spot on the team by Kerr in 2013. Earlier this season, the Blue Devils wore warm-up jerseys with "Micah" on their backs.
For Duke (10-6-2, 3-4-1 in the ACC), the new jerseys and improved form came at a crucial time.
After the Blue Devils were shut out 1-0 by Holy Cross—a team that holds the third-worst record in the Patriot League and ranks 120th in RPI—Oct. 13, Duke had won only one of its last nine matches and found itself in the cellar of the ACC standings. Still winless in the conference and with only five regular season games left, the pressure was on.
“I think we understood that after we lost to Holy Cross, we didn’t have many chances left and we almost have to be perfect to end the season,” Kerr said.
With confidence low and hopes of postseason play getting slimmer and slimmer, Duke knew it would have to turn things around fast. However, with the change of jerseys came a change in fate, as Duke looked a completely different team in pink.
In their first game in the pink jerseys, the Blue Devils throttled N.C. State 6-2 to get their first conference victory and jumpstart their campaign.
“I actually challenged the boys before the N.C. State game,” Kerr said. “I said ‘Let’s go out and play well and get a result, get some results for our work.' It was a great night and a great confidence booster for our team and we just kind of ran with it from there.”
Since then, Duke has rattled off wins against No. 10 Elon, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, and Virginia Tech.
The pink jerseys have not been the only change the Blue Devils have made since their resurgence. Kerr has also made a few tactical tweaks—including moving graduate student Mitch Kupstas into goal—that have paid big dividends.
“It was just a hunch for me to make a change," Kerr said. “At the time we had given away 14 goals in six games, and Wilson [Fisher] did a fine job but I was looking for a spark. I made a couple changes. I moved [senior Zach Mathers] into a more offensive position and it seems to work.”
The pink jerseys and winning streak have earned Duke the No. 8 seed in the ACC championship and a date with Louisville (6-8-3, 1-4-3) Wednesday night. The winner of the matchup will go on to play No. 1 Wake Forest Sunday.
The last time the two teams met was a forgettable affair for Duke, which lost the match 5-0 in its 2014 ACC opener. Five of Duke's current starters started that contest, and two more saw significant playing time off the bench.
Although some players may be wary after suffering such a defeat, Kerr said he hopes it will act as a spark.
“I sure hope it gives us incentive to give them a really good game,” he said.
The Cardinals have not been enjoying the same success they had last season, winning only one game in conference play. However, that one victory did come against then-No. 21 Boston College and the Cardinals have hung in some close games against some of the top teams in the ACC this year—conceding a game-winning goal to both No. 18 Virginia and No. 5 North Carolina in the final eight minutes.
“They have some good experienced players and a lot of those players played in our game last year,” Kerr said. “They're solid defensively. We’re trying to figure out ways to break them down and take care of threats.”
The Blue Devils know as well as any other team that every game against an ACC foe will be difficult and that they will need to bring the same confidence and level of play that they have in their last five games.
One thing the Blue Devils have to their advantage: They will be wearing pink once again on Wednesday night.
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