In Duke's first conference loss to Maryland Friday night, senior forward Mike Grella's somewhat dubious red card stole the show.
And now, because of NCAA rules, Duke (4-3, 1-1 in the ACC) will be without its preseason All-American when it takes on Clemson (2-4-1, 1-1) Friday at 7 p.m. in Koskinen Stadium.
Grella's ejection has resulted in a raised intensity and urgency in the Blue Devils' preparation for an entire week of practice. As closesly as head coach John Kerr may watch the game, his vigilant eye didn't even catch the supposed altercation initiated by Grella, the team's leading scorer.
"I didn't see the play," Kerr said. "The linesman claimed that there was an altercation in front of the goal where there was a lot of pushing and shoving going on. The linesman claimed that there was an altercation right on the 18-yard line, but I didn't see it, and the referee didn't see it, but the linesman claimed he saw it.... The Maryland player went down a little too easy, in our opinion, and got Mike Grella sent off."
Grella's booking confused his teammates, who seemed to do nothing to warrant such a steep punishment.
"Basically, the defender went down, but Grella didn't really touch him," freshman forward Kyle Bethel said. "Grella just pushed him away, so he just held his face and fell to the ground."
And to junior midfielder Josh Bienenfeld, it was an instance of physical play that is simply a part of the game and should have resulted in a lesser penalty, at most.
"I thought it would be a yellow," Bienenfeld said. "I didn't even know it would come out as a red."
Whether or not the ejection was justified, Kerr knows the team absolutely needs to get past the play.
"We have already addressed it, and we are trying to move on in the right fashion," Kerr said. "We are disciplined, and we need to keep our composure."
Just as much as Grella's penalty evokes frustration for the team, it raises the question of who can step up in the offensive-minded forward's place. And as the team makes adjustments, it is clear that the role of the freshmen will become even more substantial than it already has been.
Kerr speaks at length about the balance of experience within his team, but also recognizes the fact that four freshman-Bethel, Ian Kalis, Temi Molinar and Joseph Pak-are in the starting lineup. And as the team's second-leading scorer behind Grella, Bethel will be called on to lead the offensive charge.
When Bethel talks about his own game, his voice lowers slightly and his tone becomes more reserved and humble. His speech slows, and he carefully selects his every word. Even so, he is unable to hide a grin, the most obvious sign of his excitement.
"I've been playing with [Grella] so far," Bethel said. "I'll really be the only true forward playing. We also have Cole [Grossman], who is a midfielder. He's going to be playing right below me as the attacking mid. So it will be up to us two to get the goals that Grella won't be here to get."
Bethel, quick to credit his teammates, remains confident that he is ready for this type of increased responsibility, despite the fact that it is just his eighth college game. And though Bethel may be humble, his fellow Blue Devils aren't willing to downplay his importance in Friday's ACC affair.
"He's going to have to come out hard like he always does," Bienenfeld said. "He needs to have a good performance to help us out."
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