Duke will once again face off against No. 14 Wake Forest in a critical ACC matchup at 7 p.m. Friday night at Koskinen Stadium.
“Senior night is always very special,” coach John Kerr said. “These guys have been here with me since the beginning of their careers. It’s an exciting time for them with such a big game against Wake Forest with so much at stake.”
Seniors such as defender Sebastian Ibeagha, defender Alex Sauciuc, midfielder Rob Dolot and midfielder Jonathan Aguirre all saw action against the Demon Deacons (8-3-4, 5-0-3 in the ACC) during their freshman season. Now, they find themselves playing in what could be their last game at Duke (6-4-5, 1-3-4).
“Its definitely tough to think about it,” said Dolot, who has played the most minutes in the past four years of any senior. “It’ll be a lot tougher to think about when I’m actually out there tomorrow night.”
To make a third NCAA tournament appearance together, Duke's senior class will be under pressure to perform in the team's final three games of the season. The Blue Devils come into Friday's contest sitting one point out of the eighth and final spot in this year's ACC tournament.
Although Duke’s seniors would love to come away with a win in their last regular season home game, this game has even further implications for the road ahead. A victory against a Wake Forest squad that enters play undefeated in conference play this season would go a long way to cementing the team's postseason aspirations.
“Getting a win will be massive for our advancement into the places of getting into the ACC tournament,” Kerr said. “Also because they’re so highly ranked in the RPI, that’ll help our postseason NCAA opportunities as well."
While the Demon Deacons are in a tight battle against Notre Dame to win the ACC outright, the Blue Devils will look to extend their undefeated streak to six games and earn their second straight conference win.
Wake Forest has had a stellar season, averaging 1.87 goals a game and relinquishing less than a goal a game to opponents. The Demon Deacons may struggle, however, against a Blue Devil defense that has allowed only one goal in its past five games thanks to the strong play of goalkeeper Alex Long, who comes into Friday's contest ranked third in the ACC with 67 saves.
“Sometimes their offense is their best defense,” Kerr said. “So we have to contain their explosive offense and not give them much time on the ball.”
The Blue Devils finally broke through on offense after unleashing three goals in the second half of a 3-0 victory against Elon Tuesday night. Duke had previously only scored four goals in their past six games.
The team's seniors have not been defeated by Wake Forest during their entire first three seasons, and that group hopes to cement its legacy by extending that streak to four.
“It’d be awesome to go out with a win, especially against a team as good as Wake,” Dolot said.
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