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Duke Hosts Tobacco Road Foe No. 8 North Carolina Friday
10/13/2016 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Game 12
Duke (4-5-2, 1-3-1) vs. No. 8 North Carolina (9-2-1, 3-1-1)
October 14, 2016 | 7 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Durham, N.C. | Koskinen Stadium
Setting the Scene
● Duke looks to regain winning form Friday night after consecutive 3-1 losses last week.
● The Blue Devils are 4-5-2 overall and 1-3-1 in ACC play. They are 2-2-0 at home, including 0-1-1 against ACC teams at Koskinen. Duke is ninth in the ACC.
● North Carolina is 9-2-1 and 3-1-1 in the ACC. The Tar Heels are in a tie with Notre Dame for the top of the Coastal Division.
Series History
● Duke and North Carolina are meeting for the 89th time in the programs' histories. The Tar Heels lead the series 43-35-10 and have won seven of the previous 10 outings.
● Duke is looking to match its performance in 2014 when the Blue Devils knocked off top-ranked North Carolina 2-1 in a thriller in Koskinen Stadium.
● North Carolina has been ranked in the top 20 in each of the past 10 meetings and in the top 10 in seven of those.
Duke – North Carolina By the Numbers
16 – Of the previous 17 games between Duke and North Carolina that have been decided by a single goal or ended in a tie
4.09 – Saves per game for Duke goalkeeper Robert Moewes, third in the ACC
21 – Of Duke's 34 wins over North Carolina that have come in Durham, including the past three
3 – Of Duke's next five opponents that are ranked in the top 25 as Duke faces Nos. 8, 2 & 21 over the next 14 days
8 – Of the previous 10 meetings with North Carolina in which the Tar Heels were ranked in the top 10
10 – Points for rookie Suniel Veerakone through 11 games, the most for a Duke freshman since Cameron Moseley had 11 points in 17 games in 2014
1 – North Carolina's rank in Duke's last victory over the Tar Heels, a 2-1 win on Sept. 19, 2014
6 – Goals allowed by the Tar Heels in 12 games for a 0.49 goals against average, ranking fifth nationally
10 – Of the 955 minutes Duke has played that Markus Fjørtoft has spent on the bench this season
8 – Shutouts for the Tar Heels in 2016
2 – Times Duke has been shut out this season
About the Blue Devils
● Duke is looking to bounce back after consecutive 3-1 setbacks.
● The Blue Devils are in search of a crucial ACC victory to secure a spot in the ACC Championship field.
● Junior Brian White paces the offense with 11 points from four goals and three assists, while freshman Suniel Veerakone has 10 points from his three goals and team-best four assists. Max Moser, White, and Carter Manley all have three assists to their names.
● Graduate student goalkeeper Robert Moewes anchors the defense with a 1.40 goals against average and a .738 save percentage. He is averaging 4.09 saves per game, third overall in the ACC.
● The Blue Devils have struggled to get the second goal in games this season, being held to a single score in six of the 11 games. Duke has scored multiple goals three times and a season-high five in the win over UNC Asheville.
Scouting the Tar Heels
● North Carolina looks to remain atop the ACC Coastal Division standings Friday night with a win. The Tar Heels, ranked eighth in the latest coaches' poll, are coming off of a resounding 7-0 blanking of UNC Asheville Tuesday.
● Junior Zach Wright headlines the high-powered offense – 29 goals in 12 games to lead the ACC – with four goals and six assists for 14 points, while Nils Bruening is tops in goals with six. Tucker Hume has added four goals and four assists and Walker Hume has four and three, respectively.
● Equally as impressive is the Tar Heels' defense. North Carolina has allowed just six goals in its 12 games for a 0.49 goals against average, ranking fourth in the ACC and fifth nationally. James Pyle anchors the defense with a 0.49 goals against average and a .829 save percentage. He is averaging just 2.42 saves per game as the Tar Heels allow its opponents fewer than eight shots per game.
● North Carolina is 2-0-1 on the road this season.
Last Time Out
● Eighteenth-ranked Virginia Tech scored a pair of first-half goals and stifled the Blue Devils' offense to earn a 3-1 home victory over Duke last Friday.
● Cameron Moseley spoiled the shutout bid for the Hokies, scoring his third goal of the year in the final minute of action.
● Robert Moewes finished with six saves in the loss, his second highest save total of the season.
Last Time We Met
● For the eighth straight meeting, the battle between Duke and No. 2 North Carolina was decided by a goal or less, as the Blue Devils fell to the Tar Heels, 2-1, at Fetzer Field.
● Playing in rainy conditions for a majority of the match, the Tar Heels tallied the first two goals of the game before senior Zach Mathers found the back of the net early in the second half to account for Duke's lone score.
● The Blue Devils had a number of chances down the stretch to draw even but couldn't capitalize. With 2:20 to play, Mathers took a free kick from just outside the box that sailed high, then a minute later blasted another that went wide. Ryan Thompson put one on a goal with 30 ticks left, but a timely save from the Tar Heels ended Duke's hopes of overtime.
● Wilson Fisher made four saves in the game with North Carolina outshooting Duke 20-10. James Pyle also had four stops.
Close Calls
● When Duke and North Carolina square off you can throw out the scouting reports and the rankings. This rivalry is inevitably a battle to the end with one of the teams edging the other by a single goal.
● Seventeen of the previous 18 meetings between Duke and North Carolina have either ended in a tie or been decided by a single goal. In 2008, North Carolina won 2-0 in Durham.
● Overall 56 of the 87 contests have ended in a draw or been decided by one goal, 64 percent of the matchups.
In Common
● Duke and North Carolina shared one common non-conference opponent and a pair of ACC foes. The Tar Heels went 3-0 in the games, including 2-0 in the ACC, while Duke is 1-1-1 against the three teams.
|
Common Foes |
Duke |
UNC |
|
Pittsburgh |
T, 1-1 |
W, 1-0 |
|
Boston College |
L, 0-1 |
W, 5-0 |
|
UNC Asheville |
W, 5-1 |
W, 7-0 |
Duke vs Ranked Teams
● Duke will meet its second straight top 25 opponent Friday night. The Blue Devils are 1-3-0 against ranked teams, defeating No. 9 UCLA and losing to No. 25 Boston College, No. 12 Wake Forest and No. 18 Virginia Tech.
● Under John Kerr, Duke is 7-10-1 against ranked teams when unranked.
|
Under head coach John Kerr |
|
|
vs. Ranked when Unranked |
7-10-1 |
|
vs. Ranked when Ranked |
4-10-2 |
|
vs. Unranked when Ranked |
18-16-8 |
At Home
● Duke is 64-24-13 all-time at home under head coach John Kerr. The Blue Devils are 2-3-2 in 2016.
● Duke will play three more regular season games at home, including against ACC foes North Carolina and Notre Dame.
● The Blue Devils have won at least 70 percent of their home games in three of the past eight seasons and finished above .500 every year.
At Home in the ACC
● Duke is 15-12-8 in ACC home games since 2008 for a .544 win percentage.
● The current Blue Devils are 5-4-6 against conference foes at Koskinen Stadium.
Duke and Opponents in the RPI
● Duke comes in at No. 120 in this week's NCAA RPI. The Blue Devils' top win is against No. 25 UCLA. Six of the top 10 in the RPI are from the ACC.
|
Date |
Opponent |
RPI |
|
Oct. 14 |
North Carolina |
4 |
|
Oct. 18 |
Campbell |
164 |
|
Oct. 21 |
Notre Dame |
1 |
|
Oct. 25 |
Elon |
134 |
|
Oct. 28 |
Virginia |
10 |
Veerakone Having Strong Rookie Season
● Rookie Suniel Veerakone ranks second on the team in points with three goals and four assists for 10 points. All three of his tallies have come off of free kicks.
● Veerakone's 10 points are the most by a rookie since Cameron Moseley had 11 points in 17 games in 2014. Brody Huitema had 16 points his rookie season in 2013.
Moewes Near Top of ACC in Saves
● Moewes is second in the ACC in saves per game (4.09). His 45 saves are third in the conference and 46th among Division I goalies.
● He is in search of his 10th career shutout Friday night.
Duke's Tough Schedule
● Duke's win over ninth-ranked UCLA was the beginning of a tough three-game stretch featuring three straight top 25 opponents.
● Following the win over the Bruins, Duke suffered consecutive setbacks to then-No. 25 Boston College and No. 12 Wake Forest.
● Duke is amidst of a grueling schedule, squaring off against No. 18 Virginia Tech, No. 8 North Carolina and No. 2 Notre Dame, in a span of 14 days.
Up Next
● The Blue Devils return to Koskinen for midweek action against Campbell Oct. 18. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., on ACC Network Extra.
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