They say the devil is in the details. But in Durham, the Blue Devils are in the details — and the numbers:
38
With the women’s soccer team now ranked first in the country, Duke continued its winning ways with a 2-1 victory against No. 17 California to stay undefeated in the ACC with a 6-0 record. So far, the Blue Devils have scored an astonishing 38 goals at a rate of 3.17 goals per game, whereas their opponents have only slipped six past Duke’s goalies, averaging 0.5 goals per game. The Blue Devils’ offense has outstripped opponents this season, with 236 shots taken and 111 shots on goal versus 79 shots and 39 shots on goal for opponents. Duke spent much of Sunday’s game against the Golden Bears down 1-0, the first time the Blue Devils were trailing in over 900 minutes of game time, before coming back in the second half with goals from sophomores Mia Minestrella and Cameron Roller. After Duke’s first goal, the game appeared to be heading towards a draw with aggressive play from both sides, until junior Devin Lynch’s cross in the 87th minute led to Roller’s game-winning shot.
2
Men’s tennis had a good weekend at the ITA regionals, with several players advancing past the round of 16. This comes despite a slew of newcomers to the team, including seven from the transfer portal. Junior Pedro Rodenas, the No. 2 seed going into the tournament, advanced to the NCAA Championships, a highlight for the Blue Devils. His final match, the semifinal against Wake Forest’s No. 3 seeded Dhakshineshwar Suresh, was a come-from-behind victory that came down to a close third set Rodenas won 7-6. Rodenas was named ITA Co-Champion thanks to his singles performances, and also played on one of Duke’s two doubles teams that advanced to the semifinals of the event.
3
The volleyball team was on the road over the weekend against Wake Forest and N.C. State, winning against the Demon Deacons 3-1 before falling to the Wolfpack. What stood out in the first game, however, was the second set: a 33-31 nailbiter that Duke barely lost. The Blue Devils recently changed their offense from a 5-1 to a 6-2 system, which played out well against Wake Forest, but not so much against N.C. State. The remaining sets against the Demon Deacons went decisively in Duke’s favor, winning them 25-19 and 25-22. Part of the win, however, can be attributed to Wake Forest’s four service errors in the third set. The weekend’s matchups did not change the fact that the Blue Devils still have a losing season with a 7-10 record.
17
The men’s soccer team ended its game against Wake Forest with a 0-0 draw. Despite outpacing the Demon Deacons with 17 shots to Wake Forest’s 12, Duke only managed four shots on goal to their opponent’s five. Notably, only 47% of the Blue Devils’ 169 shots this season have been shots on goal. The Blue Devils also had a major advantage in corner kicks Saturday, with 13 to the Demon Deacons’ four. In the end, Duke’s failure to capitalize on early momentum, notably three shots and a corner kick in the first few minutes of play, resulted in a suboptimal conclusion to a winnable game. Despite multiple opportunities, the Blue Devils wound up with their second scoreless draw of the season and their fourth draw overall.
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Samanyu Gangappa is a Trinity sophomore and local/national news editor for the news department.