As the season progresses, a consistent storyline is beginning to emerge: the Blue Devils struggle to put the ball in the net. The team enters Friday’s contest with N.C. State with only 14 goals all season, and none in their last two games.
The Wolfpack will travel to Durham Friday for a 7 p.m. match of ACC foes at Koskinen Stadium. After battling to consecutive scoreless draws against No. 9 North Carolina and No. 20 Virginia, Duke is still searching for its first conference victory this season.
“We have been inconsistent and they have been a little bit inconsistent recently,” head coach John Kerr said. “We are both trying to find our way and this is a big game.”
If the Blue Devils (4-4-4, 0-3-3 in the ACC) are going to notch their first win in ACC play, they will need their dormant offense to come to life. Duke only mustered two shots on goal at North Carolina last Friday, and just three against Virginia Tuesday.
“I think early in the season we were creating a lot of chances that we were not converting, but as the season goes along, other teams get to see video of you and look at your tendencies and so a lot of teams are dropping off deep on us,” Kerr said.
Moreover, Kerr noted that defenders and midfielders needed to get more involved in the offense. Last season, defender Sebastian Ibeagha scored five goals, compared to just two thus far this year.
“We are looking for our outside backs to get more into the play and get in behind, and our outside midfielders to get in behind their backs rather than just keep the ball in front of them,” Kerr said.
N.C. State (4-3-3, 1-3-2) is coming off of a 2-2 draw at home against No. 18 Wake Forest, a solid rebound after a 5-0 drubbing at Syracuse. The Wolfpack are led by junior forward Nick Surkamp, who has netted four goals so far this season.
Despite its offensive shortcomings, Duke has managed to stay competitive in recent contests due to strong efforts from both the defense and goalkeeper Alex Long, who notched a career-high 10 saves in the Blue Devils' draw against the Cavaliers. Headed by Ibeagha, the back line has bent but not broken in its past two games. North Carolina and Virginia each fired 20 or more shots in Duke's last two contests, but came away with nothing to show for it.
“I’m pretty pleased with how solid we have looked in the past two games against two really good teams with good offenses,” Kerr said. “The adjustment we made moving [Zach] Mathers from a midfield offensive role to a defensive role where he played last year has really shored up the defense.”
Of course, the last two shutouts are mainly due to the play of Long, who has four clean sheets this season. Long has single-handedly kept the Blue Devils in games at points during the season, saving 78.3 percent of the shots that have come his way.
“Alex Long has definitely stepped up his game big-time,” Kerr said.
With only six games left in the regular season, Duke is still without a conference win. Defeating N.C. State—a team that accompanies the Blue Devils at the cellar of the ACC standings—would be a crucial start to ending the season strong.
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