Blue Devils Gear Up for NCAA Tournament

DURHAM, N.C.-The Duke University men's soccer team will kick off NCAA Tournament action on Thursday, Nov. 19 against Winthrop at Koskinen Stadium. The 20th-ranked Blue Devils and Eagles square off at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the game are 7$ for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Fans can purchase tickets on the day of the game or early by calling (919) 681-2583 or visiting www.GoDuke.com.

Those who are unable to make it out to Koskinen Stadium can follow the action through the live statistics www.GoDuke.com.

How Duke Got Here

Duke earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after posting a 12-6 regular season record, which included wins over then No. 2 Maryland and the current No. 2 seed Virginia. The Blue Devils went 8-1-0 against teams outside the ACC this season with the lone loss coming at the hands of Davidson College of the Southern Conference.

Series History

Duke and Winthrop are meeting for just the sixth time overall and for the first time in NCAA Tournament action. Duke leads the series 5-0, but the last time the two teams faced each other was in September of 1987 when the Eagles were in their second season at the Division I level. The Blue Devils have outscored the Eagles 15-2 in those five games.

NCAA Tournament Notes

Duke is making its 23rd appearance overall and sixth consecutive in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils enter postseason play in search of their second NCAA Championship since first making the tournament in 1972. Duke is 26-21-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament action and has lost in the first round the past two seasons - Louisville in 2007 and UNC Greensboro in 2008. 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 (1982, 1986, 1992, 1995, 2004) and to the championship match three times (1982, 1986, 2004). Duke's last appearance in the NCAA College Cup came in 2004 against UC Santa Barbara.

Record by Round

First Round..... 10-10

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........ 1-3*

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 South Conference

The Blue Devils hold a record of 35-9-3 against current teams in the Big South Conference. This will be the second time that Duke will face a Big South opponent in NCAA Tournament action, with the last outing being a 3-0 win over Coastal Carolina in the first round of the 2004 tournament, when the Blue Devils advanced to the national championship game.

Scouting The Blue Devils

Duke heads into the NCAA Tournament with a 12-6 overall record. The Blue Devils most recently lost to Boston College, 1-0 in overtime, in the ACC Quarterfinal. Junior Cole Grossman paces the offense with 24 points from seven goals and 10 assists. Freshman Ryan Finley is right behind him with 22 points. He leads all goal scorers with nine goals 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 18 goals on the year and posted seven shutouts. In goal, freshman James Belshaw sports a 1.12 goals against average and a .730 save percentage in 16 starts. He also has three shutouts to his name.

Scouting Winthrop

Winthrop enters the NCAA College Cup coming off a 2-1 win in the Big South Conference Tournament championship. It marked the second consecutive year and the third time in the past four years the Eagles have won the conference tournament. The Eagles faced one other ACC foe during the season, falling 3-1 to N.C. State in the season opener. Matthew Skonicki headlines the potent Winthrop attack with 35 points from 13 goals and nine assists. Michael Luk has contributed 18 points, 10 of which have come from assists. Winthrop's offense ranks 10th nationally in scoring, averaging 2.05 goals per game. The Eagles have allowed 36 goals this season with 22 coming during the first half of play. Enrique Miranda has played every minute in goal and sports a 1.72 goals against average and a .647 save percentage. Winthrop is 3-4-1 on the road and 1-3-0 against non-Big South opponents this year. The Eagles finished out the year with a 1-3-2 record in their final five games. They defeated top-seeded Coastal Carolina 4-3 in a shootout in the Big South Tournament semifinal to advance to the championship match.

Up Next

The winner of the contest will advance to the second round to take on No. 14 seed Michigan State in East Lancing, Mich. The second round contest will kick off at 1 p.m., on Nov. 22.

-d-u-k-e-

Blue Devils Gear Up for NCAA Tournament

Players Mentioned

James Belshaw

Ryan Finley

Cole Grossman

Christian Ibeagha

Nick Sih

Matthew Thomas

Andrew Wenger

Duke information

Blue Devils Gear Up for NCAA Tournament

Players Mentioned

James Belshaw

Ryan Finley

Cole Grossman

Christian Ibeagha

Nick Sih

Matthew Thomas

Andrew Wenger

Related Videos

Duke information