In the 1986 season, the Blue Devils won the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship and captured the university's first-ever national title.
Now 19 years later, the sixth-seeded Blue Devils (12-4-3) will face the Creighton Bluejays at 7 p.m. tonight at Koskinen Stadium as they begin their quest to repeat the 1986 feat and attempt to earn the team's second national championship. Duke received a first-round bye after winning the ACC Championships.
The Blue Devils are no stranger to the NCAA Championships, having competed in more than 40 games and holding a 24-17-1 all-time record.
Last year, the Blue Devils reached the College Cup, only to be blanked, 5-0, by a talented UC Santa Barbara team. Senior midfielder Blake Camp said he is familiar with the high level of competition in the NCAA Championships.
"Obviously we're really confident coming off the win in the ACC tournament, but the NCAA Tournament takes on a life of its own," Camp said. "Every game is an extremely tough, physical battle. It really takes a lot out of you. The tournament is more about endurance than anything else. We were very fortunate to get to the final four last year but there are no guarantees."
Camp, who was named the MVP of the ACC Championships, leads the team with 23 points this season and is tied for first with fellow midfielder Chris Loftus with nine goals.
"Blake is a marked man and the other team is going to try to shut him down," head coach John Rennie said. "He's learned to deal with that. We're just going to let the game come to him. He knows better than anybody that if they focus too much on him, then other guys are going to be open. He's the guy we count on, and he's the guy the other team tries to close down. We've gotten used to it and handle it very well."
Since winning the ACC Championship in a dramatic 5-4 shootout victory over North Carolina Nov. 13, Duke has had over a week off to prepare for its matchup against the Bluejays in the second round of the NCAA Championship.
Creighton (13-4-3) defeated Lafayette, 3-0, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Nov. 18 to set up tonight's second round contest.
"We needed the time off in every way you could think of," Rennie said. "We have recovered physically, mentally and emotionally, and we're ready to go."
In the ACC Championships, the Blue Devils defeated Maryland and UNC, teams that are seeded first and fourth, respectively, in this tournament. With the recent ACC victory the Blue Devils are confident and focused heading into the NCAAs.
"To win the ACC has given us a lot of confidence," sophomore goalkeeper Justin Papadakis said. "We beat No. 1 Maryland and a very strong UNC team. I think we've proven we can beat anyone, and now it's a matter of doing it again. The ACC is behind us. We're very happy about it, but we have to move on and do it again in the NCAA tournament."
The Blue Devils have found success this season by scoring quick goals and getting early leads. Duke has outscored its opponents 23-2 in the first half this season and have only failed to net a first-half goal on six occasions all season.
"I think it all has to do with the amount of intensity we come out with at the beginning of the game," Camp said. "Against Maryland we came out flying and got early goals in each half. I think the goals will come as long as we don't neglect our defense at the same time."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.