Before their 11-7 loss to Georgetown Saturday, the Blue Devils were the top-ranked team in the nation and were riding high, averaging over 17 goals per game.
But after that first defeat of the season, in which Duke scored less than 15 goals for the first time all year, the Blue Devils (8-1) slipped to No. 3 in the rankings, and they know they have a lot of work to do if they are going to reclaim the top spot. As a result, Duke is more focused on itself than tonight's opponent, Harvard (4-2). The Blue Devils will take on the Crimson at 7 p.m. in Koskinen Stadium.
"Its more about worrying about ourselves and doing what we want to do," senior Zack Greer said. "We need to dictate the tempo and dictate play like we usually do and play our style again."
Against the Hoyas, Duke struggled to get into the fast-paced transition game that has allowed it to be so successful this season. Georgetown slowed down the pace, baffling Duke and forcing the nation's top-ranked offense into several bad shots.
The Blue Devils' frustration showed, especially in the second half, as they picked up five penalties and made several uncharacteristic mistakes on both ends of the field.
"We need to improve on the little things," Greer said. "We made some mental mistakes, trying to rush passes offensively. Defensively, we had a couple lapses and the penalties and that sort of thing. There are a bunch of things that we can do better and change from Saturday."
Greer said Duke will be looking to cut down on the bad penalties that plagued the team against the Hoyas. That will prevent the Blue Devils from getting into the man-down situations that they had to fight through Saturday, as Duke has struggled in those scenarios all season.
But Greer is confident the Blue Devils will improve their man-down play. Last year, Duke held its opponents to a 22.8 conversion percentage on man-up opportunities. This season, that number has spiked to 36.5 percent. Georgetown scored three man-up goals Saturday, the last one breaking a 6-6 tie in the fourth quarter.
"We were pretty good at it last year," Greer said. "Maybe it's just a matter of trying to match those six guys together. It'll come along, and we'll get better at it."
Harvard is also coming off a loss, falling 12-10 to Penn. Prior to that game, the Crimson had allowed just 4.4 goals per outing. The Blue Devils may be in for another defensive battle, and they will have to adapt to it better than they did Saturday if they are going to avoid a second straight defeat.
"We have to make the game go at our pace," Greer said. "We didn't capitalize on a lot of the turnovers Saturday. We need to get back to doing what we do best and what's made us successful."
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