Last Sunday at Duke Soccer Stadium, the men's soccer team (7-1, 1-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) fell victim to Maryland, 2-1. The Terrapins had lost to Towson State just one game earlier.
This Sunday at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, No. 3 Duke will face ACC-rival North Carolina (6-2, 0-2). The No. 7 Tar Heels are coming off an embarrassing 7-1 blowout to No. 1 Virginia.
Although it is common for losing teams to come together after a disappointing loss--as demonstrated by Maryland last weekend--the Blue Devils are hoping that history does not repeat itself. And in the process, they would like to notch an ACC win on the road.
In order to do so, Duke must first find a way to stop All-American striker Temoc Suarez. Last year, Suarez helped his Tar Heels defeat the Blue Devils 4-3 in a regular-season thriller. He is off to another great start in this season's campaign, as he has already tallied six goals and four assists.
Duke assistant coach David Smyth is one of the many impressed by Suarez's play.
"Temoc is capable of going at an entire defense," Smyth said. "He is unpredictable--he can beat you in so many different ways."
Sophomore defender Adam Mastrelli is also respectful of Suarez's ability--he will see plenty of Suarez come Sunday.
"He's a quick player and is very strong on the ball," Mastrelli said. "He has a great shot, too."
Duke has some great attackers of its own. Freshman center forward Josh Henderson is a player that UNC must contain in order to keep Duke off the scoreboard. In just eight games, Henderson has already compiled seven goals and eight assists. Fellow freshman Jay Heaps is another player to watch. He is leading the team with eight goals.
Junior striker Brian Kelly--who normally presents big problems for opposing defenses--is day-to-day after suffering a head injury in Wednesday night's win over Davidson.
UNC has had its share of injuries as well. In last week's loss to Virginia, five Tar Heel starters did not play. Captain Eddie Pope was one of those injured and will probably be back for this weekend's showdown. This All-American sweeper would be a huge impediment for the Duke attack. The Blue Devils must figure out a way to get around the stingy Carolina defense.
Duke, however, will not change its offensive approach in order to do so.
Instead, Duke feels that as long as it can dictate the play, the offense will get its chances.
"It is crucial that from the start we set the pace of the game," Mastrelli said. "We cannot allow North Carolina to play its style of soccer."
This clash of styles will undoubtedly make for an exciting game. Both teams realize the significance of a victory. Not only are they in the same conference, but they are also in the same region when the time comes for NCAA tournament seedings.
This rivalry came into play last year when Duke defeated North Carolina 2-0 in the first round of the ACC tournament.
The win was not only the first step on the road to the ACC finals, but it salvaged the Blue Devils' season and played a large part in Duke getting an invitation to the NCAA tournament.
Coach Smyth, who played for the Tar Heels in the mid-1980s, realizes the importance of the game, but also recognizes that every game in the ACC is big--five of the top-10 teams in the nation hail from the conference.
"Every team in the conference is a rival," Smyth said. "Playing ACC soccer is like fighting a war. We are all battling for position in the conference and seeking tournament bids. The UNC game is just one of the battles."
A very big battle.
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