No. 12 Duke Opens Regular Season Against San Diego

Friday, August 26

Durham, N.C.

7:30 P.M.

Duke University

San Diego

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No. 12 Duke Opens Regular Season Against San Diego

8/25/2022 4:31:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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DURHAM – Duke men's soccer, preseason #12 in the country, kicks off its 2022 regular season on Friday night. The Blue Devils host San Diego at Koskinen Stadium, with first touch scheduled for 7:35 p.m. The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra. The matchup against the Toreros is the first of the Blue Devils' 15-game regular season slate, with 10 of those contests set to be played at home.

Friday's game will be one of five total played at Koskinen Stadium this weekend. The men's team serves as hosts for the John Rennie Nike Invitational on Friday and Sunday, with Elon and Milwaukee rounding out the four-team field. Additionally, the Duke women's soccer team takes on Charlotte on Sunday evening. Any ticket purchased for Duke's gam es will be good for both contests played on that day.

PRESEASON RECAP

The Blue Devils polished off their first undefeated preseason since 2014, going 2-0-1 overall.
Duke opened the stretch with a tie against South Carolina, before defeating High Point (3-0) and Longwood (7-1) to end the three-game slate.
Duke's leading goal scorer was Scotty Taylor, who had a goal in all three games. Junior Peter Stroud was a key force as well, scoring two goals and tallying two assists.
The freshman class also stepped up, as Kenan Hot had a four-point game against Longwood and Wayne Frederick potted another goal against the Lancers.

SERIES HISTORY

Duke will match up with San Diego for the third time, after winning the last meeting 4-1 in San Diego in 2018.
Starting goalkeeper Eliot Hamill is the lone remaining player on the roster from the last meeting but did not see action in the 2018 game.
The Blue Devils have won their last five home openers, with the last non-win coming in a draw with the Toreros in 2016.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Head coach John Kerr enters his 15th season as head coach of the Blue Devils with a career record of 217-160-46 and a record at Duke of 136-101-33.
The Blue Devils made an appearance in all preseason polls, debuting at 12th in the United Soccer Coaches poll and in 11th for both the TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News polls.
Stroud was picked to the MAC Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List. The Chester, N.J., native is one of 11 returning All-Americans nationwide and developed a strong reputation as a gifted two-way player.
The strength of the Blue Devils lineup lies in the midfield, as veteran leader Stroud leads a dynamic group. Junior Nick Pariano is back after 13 points and should see plenty of action, along with freshman Hot.
Stroud and sophomore Shakur Mohammed have each been recognized among the best in the nation, as TopDrawerSoccer announced their Top-100 Player Rankings for the new year.
Stroud was selected as the top player to watch in the nation, leading the exclusive list. Mohammed checked in at No. 60.
The duo were named ACC Midfielder of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year respectively last season and enter 2021 with high expectations.
Duke got a huge boost in the offseason, when starting goalkeeper and team captain Eliot Hamill elected to return as a graduate student at the Fuqua School of Business and use his extra COVID year.

BY THE NUMBERS
45 – The consecutive seasons by the Duke men's soccer program with at least one All-ACC honoree. The team has had one every season since 1976.

11 – The number of new Blue Devils in 2022. 10 freshmen and graduate transfer Peter Wentzel join the fray as new members of the team.

4 – The number of wins against West Coast Conference programs in Duke history. Duke has beaten Pacific, Saint Mary's, San Diego and San Francisco once.

5 – The number of consecutive home opening victories by the Blue Devils. The last none home opening victory was a 1-1 draw against San Diego in 2016.

2 – ACC award winners returning from last season. Reigning ACC Midfielder of the Year Stroud and ACC Freshman of the Year Mohammed are both back in action for another campaign.

62.8 - The percentage of 2021 goals from returning players this season. While losing Thorleifur Ulfarsson's 15 goals, the team had 27 from returning players this year.

3 - Goals from Taylor during the preseason. The senior has scored one in every game and is aiming to hit the ground running after goals against North Carolina and Clemson last year.

9 – The Blue Devils goal differential during the 2022 preseason. The stretch was buoyed by a 7-1 defeat of Longwood to end the slate.

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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