Symbolic of the Blue Devils' up-and-down season, Duke's starting lineup Saturday at N.C. State consisted of six players who did not start in the season opener.
Some, like Tim Jepson, Spencer Wadsworth and Zack Pope, have recovered from injuries to play crucial roles for the Blue Devils. Others, such as freshman Cole Grossman, have been forced to fill in for injured stars. And still others, like fifth-year senior Joshua Medcalf, have emerged as key players who have earned a chance to start.
But the most interesting insertion into Saturday's lineup was backup goalkeeper Brendan Fitzgerald, filling in for senior Justin Papadakis. Papadakis was pulled during Duke's 4-3 loss to Alabama A&M Nov. 4 and did not play at all as the No. 24 Blue Devils (11-6-1, 4-3-1 in the ACC) defeated the Wolfpack 2-0 in the final game of the regular season.
"Justin Papadakis is a great goalkeeper," head coach John Rennie said. "He didn't have some great form the other day in the Alabama A&M game. It's a combination of wanting to give Justin some time off and Fitzgerald had been playing really well in training and deserved a chance to play."
N.C. State (6-8-3, 1-6-1) mustered just three shots against the Duke defense, and Fitzgerald made one save to record his second shutout in as many starts this season. It was the Blue Devils' third shutout in their last four games-a sign that the defense, which had been missing Jepson for the first half of the year, is rounding into form.
"We played one of the best defensive games of the year," Rennie said. "The defense is doing a great job, and we just want to keep it going."
Forward Mike Grella came off the bench to score Duke's first goal of the game in the 34th minute. Pope sent him a long pass and Grella one-timed it into the back of the net for his team-best 10th goal of the year.
Grossman, who started in place of injured co-captain Michael Videira, gave the Blue Devils an insurance goal in the 48th minute. Wolfpack goalkeeper Christopher Widman surrendered a rebound, and Grossman knocked it in for an unassisted tally.
"That's the third goal that he's scored for the season and [Videira]'s only had two, so he's done a great job filling in," Rennie said. "We want to keep him on the field somehow, even when Videira gets back, because Cole's been playing so well. He's done just an outstanding job."
The win gave Duke 13 points in conference play, earning the Blue Devils the third seed in the ACC tournament, which begins Tuesday with a play-in game. A loss would have sent Duke down to the fifth seed.
Duke will likely play sixth-seeded North Carolina in the first round of the tournament Wednesday. The Tar Heels pulled out a 1-0 double-overtime victory over Duke in Chapel Hill Oct. 11. The Blue Devils, however, are not worried about playing their rivals.
"At this time of the year, it's more about how your team is doing than any particular opponent," Rennie said. "There's not going to be any easy games from now on, so we'll focus on ourselves and try to get ready the best we can."
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