After having suffered a 2-1 defeat on its home turf on Wednesday night against unranked William & Mary, the No. 2 men's soccer team (9-2, 2-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) is looking for a win this weekend before it heads into next weekend's showdown with No. 1 Virginia. On paper, Duke's chances seem pretty good, as the Blue Devils face a frustrated 3-6-1 North Carolina State squad.
Do not let the record deceive, however, as the Wolfpack once again has a solid team. In fact, it was just last year that N.C. State finished first in the ACC.
This year is a different story for the Pack, as this preseason top-five team has been plagued with injuries and has had to face some tough competition--UCLA, Indiana and Virginia were all very close games.
Duke head coach John Rennie realizes these factors and knows just how good the Wolfpack can be.
"N.C. State is a very talented team," Rennie said. "They have one of the toughest schedules in the country. They have also had a lot of injuries. Things just haven't gone [N.C. State's] way this season."
The team is looking to rebound in the last half of the regular season and make a push for postseason play. In order to do so, the Wolfpack must win this Sunday at Duke Soccer Stadium.
This is also a crucial game for the Blue Devils. A loss Sunday would most likely eliminate Duke from a chance at the ACC championship and would have a huge effect on the NCAA tournament draw.
Sophomore defender Adam Mastrelli understands the significance of the game.
"North Carolina State is one of our biggest rivals," Mastrelli said. "It is a must-win game. It's an ACC game at home, and we've got to take advantage of that. It's very hard to win on the road in this conference."
It is also hard to win when faced with injuries. Star forward Josh Henderson and co-captain Craig Jeidy are both day-to-day. The absence of Henderson over the past couple of games has been evident, as the team has struggled offensively. Rennie hopes that Henderson and Jeidy will both be playing on Sunday.
"[Jeidy and Henderson] are going to practice the next few days," Rennie said. "We'll have to wait until Sunday to determine whether or not they are going to play."
Duke needs all the help it can get up front, since it must face preseason All-American goalkeeper Kyle Campbell. Campbell has given up about one-and-a-half goals a game during his career at N.C. State and earned ACC Player of the Year honors for his efforts. A healthy Henderson, complemented by wing forwards Brian Kelly and Andy Kwon, could give Campbell some trouble.
If this star-studded offense can come together and the defense continues its stingy ways, Duke should be able to notch its third win in ACC play and can then await Virginia the following weekend.
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