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Duke Hosts Delaware in Non-Conference Finale
10/23/2017 2:28:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Game 16
No. 15 Duke (10-3-2) vs. Delaware (5-5-4)
October 24, 2017 | 7 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Durham, N.C. | Koskinen Stadium
ACC Network Extra | Live Stats | Twitter
SETTING THE SCENE
Duke closes out its regular season non-conference schedule Tuesday night against Delaware at 7 p.m.
The Blue Devils look to resume their winning ways against the 5-5-4 Blue Hens. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.
DUKE – DELAWARE BY THE NUMBERS
4-0-1 – Duke's record in midweek games in 2017
6.67 – Saves per game average for Will Pulisic in his past three outings
6 – Shutouts by Pulisic this season, second in the ACC
9 – Goals by Brian White in 2017, a career-high, third in the league and tied for 20th nationally
.765 – Will Pulisic's save percentage, second in the league and eighth among freshman keepers overall
43-17-7 – Duke's midweek record under head coach John Kerr
9-0-1 – Duke's record when scoring first this season
3 – Duke's RPI in the most recent RPI, third among ACC squads
5 – Duke opponents ranked in the RPI top 10, against which the Blue Devils went 1-3-1
3 – Different positions played by sophomore Jack Doran this season - outside left and right midfield and most recently left back
177 – Of the 6540 minutes Duke has played in the past three seasons in which Markus Fjørtoft has not been on the field
SERIES HISTORY
Duke and Delaware are meeting for just the third time overall and the first time since 2012. The Blue Devils are 2-0 against the Blue Hens, winning 6-1 and 2-1. Both previous contests were played in Durham.
DUKE REACHES 10 WINS
With a 10-3-2 overall record, Duke reached the 10-wins mark for the first time since 2015 and for the sixth time under head coach John Kerr.
Kerr's 2009 squad had 14 wins, the most by a Blue Devil team in his tenure.
LAST TIME OUT
Duke freshman goalkeeper Will Pulisic made seven saves, including a penalty kick stop in overtime, to highlight an outstanding defensive effort by the 15th-ranked Blue Devils in a 0-0 draw with No. 12 Notre Dame. Pulisic made back-to-back saves in the final minute, stopping a penalty and then the ensuing rebound to secure the crucial road point.
In addition to Pulisic's outstanding effort in goal, Markus Fjørtoft was excellent in anchoring the backline. He regularly helped thwart Notre Dame's attacks and in the 93rd minute cleared a ball off the line to keep the Irish off the board.
DUKE MOVES UP IN RPI
Duke debuted at No. 12 in the first nationally released RPI rankings and gradually moved up in the rankings, ultimately to No. 3 in this week's poll.
Duke's No. 3 RPI is the highest under head coach John Kerr and the best since the final No. 3 ranking in 2006.
the Blue Devils are one of seven ACC programs in the top 10 and they has a game against No. 9 Virginia Friday.
RPI Top 15
| 1. | North Carolina | Atlantic Coast | 13-2-1 |
| 2. | Wake Forest | Atlantic Coast | 15-1-0 |
| 3. | Duke | Atlantic Coast | 10-3-2 |
| 4. | Clemson | Atlantic Coast | 11-3-0 |
| 5. | Indiana | Big Ten | 13-0-3 |
| 6. | Western Michigan | Mid-American | 13-2-1 |
| 7. | Notre Dame | Atlantic Coast | 9-4-2 |
| 8. | Michigan State | Big Ten | 11-2-2 |
| 9. | Virginia | Atlantic Coast | 10-2-3 |
| 10. | Louisville | Atlantic Coast | 10-2-3 |
| 11. | Georgetown | Big East | 11-2-1 |
| 12. | Maryland | Big Ten | 10-2-3 |
| 13. | New Hampshire | America East | 11-1-3 |
| 14. | Akron | Mid-American | 10-3-1 |
| 15. | Butler | Big East | 9-4-1 |
Bold denotes 2017 opponent
ABOUT THE BLUE DEVILS
Duke begins the final week of the regular season with its last non-conference game. The Blue Devils are 10-3-2 overall, 4-0-1 in midweek games and 7-2-1 at home.
Brian White headlines the offense with nine goals and an assist for 19 points. His nine tallies are a career best and rank 14th nationally. Daniele Proch is next in line with four goals and 10 points overall in his first year as a Blue Devil and Markus Fjørtoft and Cameron Moseley have contributed three goals. Outside back Carter Manley has a team-high four assists.
Will Pulisic is 10-3-2 in goal with a 1.03 goals against average and a .765 save percentage. He owns 52 saves and six shutouts to rank second in the ACC.
SCOUTING DELAWARE
Delaware comes to Durham following a scoreless draw with College of Charleston Saturday night. The Blue Hens are 5-5-4 overall and 3-2-3 on the road. They have 16 goals overall for a 1.14 goals per game average. Three of those came from penalty kicks.
Fede Prieto leads all scorers with four goals and an assist, while Chad Poarch owns three tallies and Thibault Phillipe has two goals and two assists. The Blue Hens average 10.1 shots per game.
In goal, Todd Morton has played all but 45 minutes and owns a 0.89 goals againsta average, a .809 save percentage and five shutouts. He owns 35 saves for a 2.5 saves per game average.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Blue Devils feature a busy home schedule in 2017, playing at Koskinen Stadium 12 times. Duke is 7-1-1 this season. The Blue Devils didn't play a true road game until Sept. 22 at Syracuse and finish the year with three out of the final four games coming at home. Duke's lone non-conference road game will be at Georgetown Oct. 9.
Under John Kerr, Duke is 73-25-15 at home for a .710 win percentage. The Blue Devils' best season was 2009, going 12-1-0 at home.
DUKE IN MIDWEEK GAMES
Duke is playing its 68th midweek game under head coach John Kerr. The Blue Devils are 43-17-7 in games played Monday through Thursday for a .694 win percentage.
The Blue Devils have gone unbeaten in weekday games once, going 5-0-2 in 2011. Duke was 3-3-0 last season and is 4-0-1 this season.
| 2008 | 3-2-0 |
| 2009 | 7-2-0 |
| 2010 | 6-1-1 |
| 2011 | 5-0-2 |
| 2012 | 3-2-1 |
| 2013 | 4-2-1 |
| 2014 | 4-3-0 |
| 2015 | 4-2-1 |
| 2016 | 3-3-0 |
| 2017 | 4-0-1 |
KERR NEARING CENTURY MARK
Head coach John Kerr is nearing his 100th win at Duke. In his 10th season, Kerr needs just four more victories to become only the second Duke coach in program history to reach the century mark.
Kerr's mentor and head coach, John Rennie, won 410 games in his 29 seasons at Duke and still ranks 22nd all-time across all three divisions with 454 wins overall. He is ninth among Division I coaches.
Kerr's current .571 win percentage is fourth among Duke coaches with Rennie leading the way at .706. Roy Skinner (1966-76; 71-45-5) is second at .607, while inaugural head coach K.C. Gerard (1935-48; 41-27-10) finished with a .589 win percentage.
STRONG STARTS
Duke has scored a goal in the first half of nine of its 10 wins this season and in 11 of the 15 games. The Blue Devils have 12 first-half goals this season after tallying just 10 goals overall in the opening 45 minutes in 2016.
The Blue Devils are 9-0-1 overall when scoring first and 1-3-0 when their opponent nets the first tally. Duke has led at the half eight times, winning all eight of those. It is 0-3 when trailing at the break.
JACK DORAN the SWISS ARMY KNIFE
Sophomore Jack Doran is the Swiss Army knife of the Blue Devils. The Boston area native, after not seeing time as a rookie, has been successful for Duke on both midfield flanks. At No. 12 Notre Dame, Doran made his debut at left back, helping shut out the Irish. This was his first foray into defense, providing more depth to the Duke lineup.
McKENNA MAKES RETURN
Junior Ciaran McKenna returned to the field Friday night at Notre Dame, playing in his first game since Sept. 5 after suffering a lower body injury. He missed just over six weeks of action despite the serious injury. McKenna played 16 minutes overall.
MARATHON MEN
Markus Fjørtoft, Brandon Williamson, Carter Manly, Brian White and Cody Brinkman are marathon men for the Blue Devils as the five field players who have played in at least 90 percent of the team's 1395 minutes this season.
Fjørtoft and Manley lead the way at 1391 and 1386, respectively, while Williamson is at 1385. White has been on the field all but 91 minutes and Brinkman for all but 132.
WILL PULISIC NOTES
Rookie goalkeeper Will Pulisic is second in the ACC with six shutouts and is one of 10 freshmen with at least six clean sheets.
He registered the game-winning assist for the Blue Devils against Wisconsin, marking the first time since 2007 a goalie has had an assist.
Pulisic garnered his first career weekly honor after helping the Blue Devils to a pair of shutouts to start the season. Named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week, Pulisic had five saves in his first two games. He is averaging 6.67 saves per game in his previous three outings.
Pulisic's six shutouts are the most by a Duke goalie since Alex Long had seven in 2013. The individual record for shutouts is 13 by Pat Johnston in 1983 and 1985. James Belshaw had eight in 2012, the most under John Kerr.
UP NEXT
Duke finishes the final week of the regular season with Senior Night against Virginia. The Blue Devils host Virginia Oct. 27. The game will be aired on ACC Network Extra.
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