The Blue Devils have not won consecutive games in more than a month, but after their first ACC win of the year look poised to accomplish the feat if they can keep their offense on track.
Duke will look to notch its first win against Davidson since 2013 when the two teams meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium. The Wildcats knocked off the Blue Devils in 2014 before the two teams tied last season, meaning Duke likely will not underestimate a team that has yet to win a road game all season. The Blue Devils are also coming off a recent upset, falling 2-1 last Tuesday at home to Georgia State for the first time in program history.
With just seven games left in the regular season, Duke is hoping it can establish control early against the Wildcats coming off a win at N.C. State and rally to make its first NCAA tournament since 2011.
“We have to win games and we’re going to do whatever it takes,” freshman Suniel Veerakone told GoDuke.com after the N.C. State win Friday. “We’re going to keep fighting no matter what.”
After Veerakone and company blew out UNC-Asheville in late August, they stunned then-No. 9 UCLA 1-0 on the road Sept. 2 before going 2-3-1 the rest of the month. Offensive inconsistency has been the main culprit for the Blue Devils (4-3-2) in their losses and ties—Duke averages 1.4 goals per game on more than 14 shots per contest and has scored multiple goals just three times this year.
Tuesday's contest against Davidson (1-8) offers head coach John Kerr's team a chance to build on its last win, though. The Wildcats allow 2.2 goals per game and have been outshot 146-84 by opponents this season, meaning the Blue Devils should be able to create chances for Veerakone and junior Brian White, who lead the team with six goals and five assists combined this year.
On Friday, White set up Duke's first goal before Veerakone sent a free kick into the back of the net in the 75th minute to deliver the Blue Devils' first win against a Power-5 opponent since the UCLA game.
"Our resiliency showed tonight,” Kerr told GoDuke.com after Friday's 2-1 win. “We weren’t just going to give up an easy goal. We were determined not to give away an easy goal and it showed tonight. We bounced back from being down 1-0 as well.”
The Davidson defense has struggled, but its offense has not been much better, averaging less than one goal per contest. But after miscues cost Duke against Georgia State in last Tuesday's loss, the Blue Devils will likely pay close attention to Wildcat forward Maxi Pragnell. The senior leads Davidson with four goals—no other Wildcat has more than two—and 21 shot attempts, offering a bright spot for a team that has suffered four one-goal defeats already this season.
Davidson's only win came against UNC-Asheville, which fell 5-1 in Durham after Duke erupted for four second-half goals.
But the Blue Devil back line will likely look different Tuesday than it has in recent weeks after the injury bug bit Duke against Georgia State and N.C. State. Against the Panthers, Kevon Black took a hard hit and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. Freshman CC Uche then exited Friday's game early with an injury, so classmate Brandon Williamson stepped in and helped the Blue Devils prevail despite being outshot 14-6.
Regardless of who starts defensively, Duke can take comfort in knowing it has an eraser in net. Graduate student goalkeeper Robert Moewes has yet to allow more than two goals in a game this season and is second in the ACC with 4.1 saves per contest.
Consistently having Moewes in front of the goal to prevent enormous momentum swings has made things easier for a young team that has struggled at times to maintain possession.
“We had a great game, solid as a rock back there,” Kerr said of the defense Friday. “Communication was fantastic, especially having to adjust with CC getting injured and Brandon in there. I’m really proud of our back four and the goalkeeper.”
Before a daunting ACC stretch featuring top-five teams in Notre Dame and North Carolina and a road tilt at No. 18 Virginia Tech starting Friday, Moewes and his teammates will first look for their fifth win of the year against Davidson.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.