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Duke Set for Match with No. 14 Spartans on Sunday
11/21/2009 9:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
DURHAM, N.C.-The road to the 2009 College Cup for the Duke University men's soccer team will continue in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 14th-seed Michigan State. The Blue Devils and Spartans kick off at 1 p.m., at the DeMartin Soccer Complex.
Tickets for the contest are $7 for adults and $5 for students, senior citizens and youths and can be purchased at the main entrance to DeMartin Stadium behind Jenison Field House. Please note that due to the Michigan State men's basketball game at 12 p.m., parking for soccer will only be available in the lots at the north and south ends (lots 62 and 79) of Spartan Stadium. Parking will not be available at Jenison Field House.
How Duke Got Here
After earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, Duke edged Winthrop 3-2 in the first round in Durham, N.C. The Blue Devils posted a 12-5 regular season record and fell to Boston College in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Duke is 9-1 against non-acc opponents this season, with the lone loss coming at the hands of Davidson College.
Series History
Duke and Michigan State are meeting for just the second time and for the first time since 1979. The Blue Devils and Spartans squared off in the Loyola Tournament on Sept. 30, 1979 with Duke coming away with a 2-0 victory.
NCAA Tournament Notes
Duke is making its 23rd appearance overall and sixth consecutive in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils defeated Winthrop in the first round to move into the second round for the first time since 2006. Duke is in search of its second NCAA Championship since first making the tournament in 1972. Duke is 27-21-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament action. Duke's one national title came in 1986 when current head coach John Kerr led the Blue Devils to an 18-5-1 record and a 1-0 win over Akron in the title match. The Blue Devils have advanced to the national semifinals five times (1982, 1986, 1992, 1995, 2004) and to the championship match three times (1982, 1986, 2004). Duke's last appearance in the College Cup came in 2004 against UC Santa Barbara.
Duke in the NCAA Tournament
Record by Round
First Round.................... 11-10
Second Round.................... 6-6
Third Round^.................... 2-0
Quarterfinals.................... 4-1-1
Semifinals........................... 3-2
Championship.................... 1-2
^ since NCAA expanded field to 48 teams
Record by Round Since 2002
First Round....................... 2-3*
Second Round.................... 2-1
Third Round^.................... 2-0
Quarterfinals...................... 1-1
Semifinals........................... 0-1
*received a first round bye in 2005 & 2006
Duke Against the Big Ten Conference
The Blue Devils hold a record of 6-9-1 against current teams in the Big Ten Conference. This will be the fourth time that Duke will face a Big Ten opponent in NCAA Tournament action, with the previous outings being a 3-0 win over Ohio State in the 2004 NCAA third round, a 2-0 loss to Wisconsin in the 1995 national championship game and a 2-1 eight overtime loss to Indiana in the 1982 national title contest.
The Road To The College Cup
The last time the Blue Devils advanced to the NCAA College Cup they defeated the Big South conference champion in the first round and a Big Ten squad in an ensuing round. In 2004, Duke dropped Coastal Carolina 3-0 before beating Old Dominion of the Colonial Athletic Association in the second round. The Blue Devils dropped Big Ten foe Ohio State in the third round to earn a spot in the quarterfinal. That year was the lone time Duke had met a Big South school in the NCAA Tournament.
Ryan McDaniel Scores Memorable First Goal
Duke senior midfielder Ryan McDaniel's first career goal as a Blue Devil proved to be the game-winner against Winthrop. When the ball popped out to McDaniel's feet, he quickly rifled it into the left upper ninety to give Duke a 3-1 lead in the 73rd minute.
All-ACC Selections
Freshman defender Andrew Wenger was named the ACC Freshman of the Year, headlining Duke's 2009 All-ACC selections. The native of Lititz, Pa., earned a spot on the first team, marking the first time a Duke rookie has done so since Ali Curtis did so in 1997. Junior midfielder Cole Grossman was named to the second team after leading the Blue Devil offense. Wenger and freshman Ryan Finley both were named to the ACC All-Freshman squad. Wenger is the third Duke player to win the ACC Freshman of the Year award.
Andrew Wenger ACC Freshman of the Year, All-ACC first team, ACC All-Freshman Team
Cole Grossman All-ACC second team
Ryan Finley ACC All-Freshman Team
Duke In The Polls
The Blue Devils opened the season unranked, but since have been consistently ranked in the top 25 in nearly all of the major polls. Duke climbed to as high as the No. 6 spot in the Soccer America poll during the year. Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Duke is ranked 24th by College Soccer News, 23rd by Soccer Times and 20th in the NSCAA poll.
Week NSCAA SA ST CSN
Preseason NR NR NR NR
Sept. 7 19 20 22 29
Sept. 14 11 11 11 12
Sept. 21 12 12 14 12
Sept. 28 14 15 13 12
Oct. 5 9 6 9 8
Oct. 12 21 25 20 15
Oct. 19 19 24 18 16
Oct. 26 16 17 15 14
Nov. 2 11 13 13 13
Nov. 9 15 20 19 19
Nov. 16 20 NR 23 24
Scouting The Blue Devils
Duke enters the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 13-6 overall record. The Blue Devils most recently beat Winthrop in the first round 3-2. Junior Cole Grossman and freshman Ryan Finley pace the offense with 24 points from seven goals and 10 assists and 10 goals and four assists, respectively. Finley leads all scorers on the year. Anchored by the backline of senior Matthew Thomas juniors Nick Sih and Christian Ibeagha and freshman Andrew Wenger, the Blue Devils have allowed just 20 goals on the year and posted seven shutouts. In goal, freshman James Belshaw sports a 1.18 goals against average and a .716 save percentage in 17 starts. He also has three shutouts to his name.
Scouting Michigan State
Michigan State enters the NCAA Tournament coming off a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Penn State in the semifinal of the Big Ten Conference Tournament.The Spartans did not face another ACC opponent during the season. Rubin Bega and Jeff Ricondo lead the Michigan State attack with nine goals and five assists and five goals and seven assists, respectively. The Spartans are ranked 33rd nationally in team goals against averaged (0.82). The Spartans have allowed 17 goals this season with nine coming during the first half of play. Goalkeeper Avery Steinlage is ranked 19th nationally in goals against average (0.702) and 23rd in save percentage (0.833). Michigan State is 6-2-1 and 5-0-1 against non-Big Ten opponents at home this year. The Spartans finished out the year with a 1-3-1 record in their final five games. They defeated Northwestern in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament only five days after having lost to them in the regular season finale.
Up Next
The winner of the contest between Duke and Michigan State will advance to the third round to face the winner of the Wake Forest/UNC Wilmington contest. That game will be played on Nov. 29 at the highest remaining seed.
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