Following disappointing postseason exits the last two seasons, the Blue Devils are ready to get defensive.
If Duke hopes to advance further in the NCAA tournament and win its first national title in 20 years, it will have to become more consistent defensively. Although the Blue Devils gave up just 1.15 goals per game last season, occasional second-half defensive lapses allowed their opponents to mount quick runs.
"Our focus is on being a very strong team defensively, being more consistent and doing well in our league," said head coach John Rennie, in his 28th year at Duke's helm. "If we do that, we'll have a damn good season and have a great chance to do well in postseason play."
The Blue Devils, ranked 14th in the nation, have experienced difficult endings the last two years. In 2004, after a surprise run to the national semifinals, they were run out of the tournament, 5-0, by UC-Santa Barbara. Last season, Duke was upset at home by Creighton, 2-1, in the second round of the NCAA Championships. The Blue Jays scored two goals in a three-minute stretch during the second half to stun the Blue Devils.
"I know guys still talk about that game to this day," said midfielder and senior captain Chris Loftus. "We got a little chip on our shoulder, and we're ready to hopefully go a little further."
Duke's defense will hinge largely on junior goalkeeper Justin Papadakis, who posted impressive numbers in his first season in goal last year. Papadakis started all 20 games for the Blue Devils last season and recorded seven shutouts. The goalie seemed to save his best for the biggest games, twice shutting out rival North Carolina and making two enormous saves in penalty kicks against the Tar Heels to win the ACC Championship final.
"[Justin] answered a lot of questions last year," Rennie said. "He was a second-year player but a rookie in goal. He did quite well. So, there's a big difference there from going into last season not really knowing."
Duke's defense has looked sharp in the preseason, allowing just one goal in three contests against stiff competition. The Blue Devils dominated No. 21 UNC-Greensboro, 3-0, and tied second-ranked Connecticut, 1-1, outshooting the Huskies, 16-4.
Duke hopes its early preparation, which included a summer trip to Germany to compete against European professionals, will help it successfully navigate a rigorous conference schedule. Six of the nine ACC schools are ranked in the top 16 nationally, including defending champion and top-ranked Maryland. The Blue Devils' schedule includes trips to No. 16 Wake Forest, No. 1 Maryland, and No. 6 Clemson, as well as home games against No. 4 Virginia and No. 5 North Carolina.
"It's the same as last year when eight out of nine teams were in the NCAA tournament," Rennie said. "If you go back and judge the success of a sport by the number of NCAA bids you get, then it's probably the most successful season in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference in any sport. We've had two teams in the final four in each of the last three years, and it's going to be the same this year."
In order to be one of those teams at the end of the season, though, Rennie knows Duke has to take it one game at a time.
"You can't win a national championship or an ACC championship until you get there," he said. "So, we don't put goals where we have to win this game and that game. If you focus on the end, you forget about what you have to do to get there."
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