When the Blue Devils step onto Terrapin turf for their matchup against No. 4 Maryland Friday at 8 p.m., they know they will not be in Durham anymore.
The 6,000-seat facility at Ludwig Field will be packed with screaming Terrapin fans forming a sea of red, just as it always is when Duke travels to play its ACC rival.
And switching from the tranquility of Koskinen Stadium, where No. 25 Duke (4-2, 1-0 in the ACC) has won three games in a row, into the spotlight in College Park, Md., is a significant change for the surging Blue Devils.
"It's going to be a big crowd-a hostile crowd," senior goalkeeper Brendan Fitzgerald said. "They're a top-5 team. It's a night game, under the lights, Friday night."
That word-hostile-is exactly how freshman Kyle Bethel and head coach John Kerr described the Terrapin fans, but the Blue Devils feel prepared for what awaits them.
"It's a big game and they have a hostile crowd up there in College Park," said Kerr, who added that the experience of losing to two top-10 teams to start the season will help Duke Friday. "We had two really tough opponents in the first two games-Indiana and Notre Dame.... We played really well against Indiana and not so well against Notre Dame. So we learned a lot from those first two games, and we're progressing quite nicely."
Bethel, Duke's second-leading scorer behind senior preseason All-American Mike Grella, believes that all the Blue Devils, including the newcomers, are up to the challenge of the Terrapins (4-1, 1-0). He even cited the advice he has received from seniors for his readiness.
"I know especially for me, speaking with Grella and Pavelid [Castenada helped]," Bethel said. "They've been telling me that they are a lot stronger, the defenders in college."
Fitzgerald said he has also prepared the rookies, offering them the words of wisdom he has accrued over three seasons.
"Just to start getting mentally focused as early as you can, because you can never be too honed in for a game like this," he said of his advice.
In the last meeting of these two teams, the higher-ranked Blue Devils won in double overtime at home. But that was more than a year ago, when former head coach John Rennie still paced the sidelines and Duke hadn't yet lost 13 seniors to graduation.
Duke felt the attrition in the first weekend of the year, when it trudged to an 0-2 start. Since then, though, the Blue Devils are flying high-and they could be even higher after this weekend.
"It's a fun environment to play in because we know there's going to be a big crowd," Kerr said. "It's going to be electric, and for players, an exciting prospect to look forward to."
Kerr has even chosen to fuel the excitement, telling the team its approach to the game is, "Don't be afraid, go for it." If anything, that type of mentality can only help against highly regarded Maryland.
"[We want them to] have them have a go," Kerr said. "Not just come out and be timid. I want to be aggressive and challenge them, and see what they're made of, and see what we're made of."
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