DURHAM – Following a successful opening week of exhibitions, the Duke men's soccer program is set for another against a top-25 opponent, as they travel to No. 24 High Point to play on Tuesday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m.
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The game will be the final road exhibition, before coming home to host NC State on Friday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. Both games will serve as final tune-ups for the 2021 home opener against Liberty on Aug. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
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Quick Facts
- The Blue Devils head to High Point after securing a 1-1 draw at No. 25 Coastal Carolina and a 4-2 victory at UNC-Wilmington.
- Head Coach John Kerr enters his 14th season at the helm of the program. Kerr has compiled a career record of 203-155-45 and 122-96-32 at Duke.
- The Blue Devils remain a very young group, with 17 players as either a freshman or sophomore, versus eight players as a junior or older.
- The Blue Devils have started the exhibition slate at 1-0-1 and are looking to improve on their regular season record of 4-10-3 from last season, returning six of their 10 top point scorers.
- Duke has had at least one All-ACC honoree in every season since 1976, including every season of Kerr's tenure.
Opponent History
- The Blue Devils are 13-9-2 against the Panthers, with the last regular season meeting coming on Oct. 22, 2019, where the Panthers earned a 1-0 victory.
- Duke is seeking its first win against High Point since a 3-2 OT victory on Sep. 1, 2017.
What to Watch For
- The freshman class made their voices heard in the opening exhibitions, as Felix Barajas and Ruben Mesalles (twice) scored against UNC-Wilmington in the 4-2 win. Barajas and Mesalles became the first freshmen to score in an exhibition game for Duke since 2014, when Markus Fjortøft and Jeremy Ebobisse scored against Charleston.
- After a breakout freshman season, sophomore Thorleifur Ulfarsson is off to a quick start in the preseason. Ulfarsson scored the lone goal against Coastal Carolina, while adding an assist against UNC-Wilmington.
- The defense is finding its stride, after holding UNC-Wilmington without a shot on goal for just over 65 minutes in Saturday's win. The Blue Devils held the Seahawks to just three shots on goal the entire game.
- The Blue Devils are looking to win multiple games during the preseason for the first time since 2014.
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To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's soccer, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMSOC".
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