After rising into the rankings for the first time since September 2015, No. 23 Duke will likely need its best game of the season to stay there.
The unbeaten Blue Devils will seek to continue their upward trajectory against their toughest foe yet in eighth-ranked North Carolina, which will try to win its fourth straight. The classic rivalry game will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C.
Although the Tar Heels have won their last two regular-season matchups against Duke, 17 of the last 18 meetings have been tied or decided by one goal.
“You can’t avoid the rivalry…. It’s exciting for us, because you look forward to that game every single year, and the players are pumped up on both sides.” Blue Devil head coach John Kerr said. “I’m sure it’s a cliché, what the records are of each team, you know it’s going to be a war and either team is going to have a chance to win it. We know it’s going to be like that on Saturday night.”
Duke (4-0-1) will try to maintain its undefeated record as it comes off an offensive clinic against Virginia Tech in its ACC opener last Saturday. The Blue Devil offense tore apart the Hokie defense, led by senior striker Brian White’s two goals and one assist—a dominating performance which earned him a placement on the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week. Equally impressively, Duke’s stifling defense limited Virginia Tech to just seven shots the whole game.
The Blue Devils will need to perform just as well in order to slow down North Carolina. The Tar Heels (5-1-0) are on a three-game winning streak after a tough 3-2 victory against William & Mary Wednesday night. Senior forward Alan Winn scored twice and leads the team with 15 career goals.
“We’re going through details to understand our roles, both defensively and offensively, just because we know [the game] could turn on a free kick, corner, or counter-attack,” Kerr said. “We’re very well aware of the tightness of the game and what the difference could be.”
Although Duke senior Markus Fjortoft was able to silence Virginia Tech star forward Marcelo Acuna last Saturday, Fjortoft and the back line will be put to the test against the potent North Carolina offensive trio of Winn, forward Jelani Pieters and midfielder Cam Lindley. Pieters leads the Tar Heels with four goals, and Lindley—the 2016 ACC Freshman of the Year—has five assists.
The Blue Devils will also focus on fighting fire with fire offensively, a strategy that almost succeeded for William & Mary until Winn’s game-winning goal in the 73rd minute.
“We have options from every angle of the field: wide, underneath, straight ahead, free kick, corner kicks. We have weapons everywhere, and it’s a nice thing as a coach to have that repertoire to play and work with, and the guys are executing well,” Kerr said. “In fact, I think we should score more goals with all the chances that we’ve created.”
Duke will attempt to continue its aggressive, attacking style of play reflected by its 18.2 shots per game, good for fifth in the nation. This marks a dramatic increase from last season’s 12.2 shots per contest. North Carolina utilizes a similar style with an average of 14.6 shots per game, which places the Tar Heels at 22nd in the nation.
With both teams coming off impressive wins and playing as well as they have in a while, Saturday night promises to be nothing less than a fast-paced thriller.
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