When the Blue Devils took on a pair of top-25 teams in their two exhibition matchups, they got a taste of the elite competition they would face just a few weeks later.
Now that time has arrived, and Duke will see how well it measures up when the games actually count.
The Blue Devils will battle a trio of ranked teams in the next two weeks beginning with No. 9 UCLA Friday at 8 p.m. at Drake Stadium in Los Angeles. The two teams enter with identical records, yet only one side has been a dominant force in the college soccer landscape during the past two decades.
UCLA won the national title in both 1997 and 2002 and finished as runner-up in 2014 and 2006. Duke, on the other hand, has won only one championship—back in 1986—and last made the NCAA tournament in 2011.
But with a young squad that has already proven its mettle against the likes of No. 2 Clemson and No. 24 Georgetown, the Blue Devils enter their first road nonconference game poised to make the most of the opportunity in front of them.
“We want the whole experience to be had by everyone, including the upperclassmen, that you go into a place where soccer’s a hotbed in the United States with a lot of passionate fans,” Duke head coach John Kerr said. “We want to feel and enjoy that atmosphere and not be afraid of it.”
In last Sunday’s 5-1 rout of UNC-Asheville, freshman Suniel Veerakone emerged with a breakout performance, notching a pair of goals. Tallies from veterans Brian White and Ciaran McKenna along with freshman Colby Agu were all part of a strong outing, after the Blue Devils (1-0-1) recorded just one shot on goal through the first 89 minutes of their season opener.
Although Veerakone showed significant promise in just his second career collegiate contest, the 5-foot-8 midfielder and his fellow rookies are still adjusting to college play.
“Suniel, believe it or not, is still progressing,” Kerr said. “He’s got a long way to go. He’s doing great. I love his attitude and his creativity—he brings a lot to our team. But there’s a lot more in that locker that he doesn’t even realize as well.”
Despite winning the John Rennie Nike Invitational and not dropping either of their first two contests, Duke has been prone to slow starts so far this season. The Blue Devils have scored just one of their six total goals in the first 45 minutes and 28 of their 41 total shots have come after halftime.
And the Blue Devils know their chances may be at even more of a premium Friday night against a stout Bruin back line.
Buoyed by redshirt senior goalkeeper Juan Cervantes and honorable mention all-conference defenders Chase Gasper and Michael Amick, UCLA (1-0-1) has allowed just 0.5 goals per game so far this season.
“We’re trying to put together a full 90 [minutes]—a full, comprehensive, complete performance,” graduate student midfielder Ryan Thompson said. “We’re trying to lock in and focus in practice on not switching off…it’s important when we get our chances, we put them away.”
Offensively, UCLA has started slow this season, scoring just two goals in two games. But the Bruins are capable of scoring in bunches thanks to their wealth of talent brought in by top-tier recruiting.
The Bruin attack features a pair of 2015 first-team All-Pac 12 forwards in Seyi Adekoya and Abu Danladi that combined for 47 points a year ago. Sophomore midfielder Jose Fernandez—the 2015 Pac-12 Freshman of Year—and first-team All-Pac 12 midfielder Jackson Yueill are also scoring threats from the middle of the field, after totaling 18 goals a season ago.
After Friday’s contest, Duke will visit No. 11 Boston College Sept. 10, then host No. 21 Wake Forest Sept. 16.
If there was ever the chance to set the tone early in their season, a win against UCLA would certainly be a major boost for a young Duke squad.
“How we prepare and how we perform on Friday night and how we handle ourselves is very important,” Kerr said. “Obviously we’re hoping for a win, and a draw wouldn’t be a bad result, but we’re all about the performance and getting better.”
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Twitter: @mpgladstone13
A junior from just outside Philadelphia, Mitchell is probably reminding you how the Eagles won the Super Bowl this year and that the Phillies are definitely on the rebound. Outside of The Chronicle, he majors in Economics, minors in Statistics and is working toward the PJMS certificate, in addition to playing trombone in the Duke University Marching Band. And if you're getting him a sandwich with beef and cheese outside the state of Pennsylvania, you best not call it a "Philly cheesesteak."