It takes 90 minutes to win a soccer game and 30 seconds to lose one.
That's the mentality Duke is attempting to bring into the NCAA Tournament, head coach John Rennie said. A loss and the sixth-seeded Blue Devils are done; a win and they are that much closer to bringing home their second national title and first since 1986.
Entering the postseason averaging almost 2.5 goals per game and suffering only one shutout loss all season, Duke (12-4-3) is not overly worried about its offensive output.
Instead, the Blue Devils will rely on their defense as they prepare to face off against the best teams in the country. Although the squad's statistics show a nearly impervious defensive unit, one that has allowed little more than a goal per game and has recorded shutouts in nine out of its 19 games, one lingering flaw remains-of the 22 goals scored on Duke this season, 20 have come following intermission.
In particular, the Blue Devils had 1-0 halftime leads against both St. John's Sept. 11 and first-seeded Maryland Oct. 7, only to surrender four and three unanswered goals, respectively.
"Early in the season we had a new defense and a new goalkeeper," Rennie said. "We were playing a new system. Our defense was inconsistent, it just happened for whatever reason that we gave up some goals late in games."
Since a late-goal loss to Virginia Oct. 16, however, Duke has allowed just six goals in seven games. Crucial to the Blue Devils' recent success has been the play of goalkeeper Justin Papadakis, who has recorded four shutouts in the team's last seven games. During this stretch, Rennie said the sophomore is beginning to assert himself as one of the best goalies in the conference.
"He was an understudy last year and got some experience there," Rennie added. "But he really started in the spring last year with the opportunity to win the starting job and he did that, and he did that well.... He's just gotten better and better as the season has gone by with his absolute best in the ACC Championship."
In Duke's win over fourth-seeded North Carolina in the finals of the ACC Championship Nov. 13, Papadakis made two key saves in the penalty kick shootout to help the Blue Devils secure their first ACC crown since 1999.
While Duke has struggled at times to adjust to its new defensive strategy, the leadership provided by the team's experienced players has been vital in shortening the learning curve for the new starters. Despite his young age, sophomore defender Tim Jepson has emerged as a leader in the back. As one of only four players to start every game last year, Jepson's maturity has helped to ease the transition to the starting lineup for Duke's three new defensive additions-Papadakis, freshman Darrius Barnes and junior Ryan Pascioni.
"Last year gave me the experience," Jepson said. "The players and coaches look at me as a leader back there. I've got a lot more confidence and accepted the role that I'm in as far as being a leader."
The defense has certainly begun to find its rhythm, Rennie said, as all the pieces to the puzzle are finally coming together. And with the NCAA tournament looming ahead next week, the defense will need to continue its recent hot streak if Duke wishes to return to the College Cup.
"We really understand better how each of us plays," said Jepson, who has played the second most minutes on the team behind Papadakis this year. "Just the concept of being one. Defense is just about being close-knit."
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