Duke men's soccer looks to stay hot at No. 25 Boston College in ACC opener

In the middle of one of the toughest stretches on their schedule, the Blue Devils have an opportunity to follow an upset victory last weekend with another signature win. 

Duke will face its second consecutive ranked opponent in No. 25 Boston College at 6 p.m. Saturday at Newton Campus Field in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The Blue Devils enter the match on the heels of a last-second win against then-No. 9 UCLA last Friday and are looking to continue the momentum as they begin ACC play against the Eagles. 

“[UCLA was] a huge win for us, but you can’t worry about that and you can’t rest your laurels on that one result,” Duke head coach John Kerr said. “We’ve got to get early wins in the ACC, and our first opportunity is against Boston College.”

Despite relying on an underclassmen-laden lineup, the Blue Devils (2-0-1) have shown few signs of youth through their first three games. 

Kerr’s team initially showed glimpses of its potential in the preseason, notching a 0-0 tie against then-No. 10 Georgetown and a 2-2 draw against then-No. 3 Clemson. After relying on a last-minute goal to tie San Diego in a double-overtime thriller in its season-opener, Duke exploded for five goals against UNC-Asheville to capture the John Rennie Nike Invitational. 

Last weekend against the Bruins, the Blue Devils once again displayed their ability to remain poised later in matches when junior midfielder Brian White knocked in a game-winning goal in the 88th minute. 

White and freshman midfielder Suniel Veerakone have led Duke up front, combining for four goals and two assists. Three other other rookies—CC Uche, Max Moser and Colby Agu—have each played at least 49 minutes per game and given Kerr more options at each position. 

“Probably, if you’re honest to the overall group, [it’s] the most talented team I’ve coached here in my nine years,” Kerr said. “The competition for places, the depth we have this year is fantastic.”

Another difference for this year’s team has been goalkeeper Robert Moewes, a graduate transfer from Binghamton. The Dortmund, Germany, native has allowed just two goals in three games and is averaging five saves per game—an improvement from last year’s squad that recorded 2.6 saves per game.

But Moewes will face another test Saturday. 

Boston College (3-1) was ranked No. 11 last week but lost to a then-winless Villanova squad 2-1 at home. The Eagles return nine of 11 starters from last year’s team that reached the NCAA Elite Eight for the second time in program history.

Senior transfer Maximilian Schulze-Geisthovel leads Boston College with a goal in each of the team’s four games, despite not starting in any of them. Sophomore Simon Enstrom also has two goals after making the All-ACC freshman team last year, and freshman Callum Johnson has added three assists to start his career.

The Blue Devils have a habit of scoring late—six of their seven goals this year have come in the second half. But Duke will need to adjust quickly Saturday night to the playing conditions, as the Eagles are one of the few teams that play on turf. 

The Blue Devils practiced Thursday on the turf fields next to Koskinen Stadium in preparation.

“It’s something that’s not normal for us, so we have to get used to it,” Kerr said. “They’re always hard to beat up in Boston.”