Duke’s men’s soccer team heads into conference play with a road test right out of the gate, visiting Wake Forest on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Spry Stadium. The Blue Devils are 2-2, while the Demon Deacons enter at 2-1-1. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the match will stream live on ACC Network Extra.
This is the 51st meeting between the programs, and Duke owns a narrow lead in the series, 24-17-9. The teams last met in a 0-0 draw in Durham during the 2024 season.
Saturday’s game also brings Duke back to Spry Stadium for the first time since a memorable 3-2 win over then-No. 1 Wake Forest.
That fourth-ranked Duke team got goals from Shakur Mohammed, Jai Bean and Axel Gudbjornsson, and Eliot Hamill came up with a key stop in the final minute to secure the result. It was Duke’s first victory over a No. 1 team since 2014.
The Blue Devils are trying to snap a two-match skid after losses to Furman and No. 6 Georgetown.
The Furman game turned into a shootout, with the Paladins leaving with a 4-3 win. Against Georgetown, Duke went to halftime scoreless before the Hoyas struck for three second-half goals, including two after Duke was reduced to 10 men.
Injuries have forced Duke to reshuffle early and often. The back line has taken the biggest hit, with several expected starters unavailable. Preston Zabinko and Jamie Kabuusu have been out all season, Maxwell Simpson and Josh Poulson were injured in preseason, Thomas Vold has missed the last two matches, Ian Hecker was out against Georgetown after stepping into a starting role, and Ari Racaj also sat out that game.
Altogether, Duke has had to manage injuries to seven players who were expected to play major minutes.
That has opened the door for a mix of freshmen and returners to take on bigger roles. Julius Suber has shifted from midfield to defense, Tucker Smith earned his first career start against Georgetown, and Adrian Byasiima moved to the back line against the Hoyas.
In the midfield and attack, freshmen Ethan Congleton, Logan Moniz, Jack Ottley and Max Steelman have been regular starters. Along with freshman goalkeeper Max Deisenhofer, that gives Duke as many as five freshman starters for the first time since the 2020-21 COVID season.
Among that rookie group, Ottley has been the most productive in the attack with a goal and a team-best three assists for five points. Congleton and Moniz have each added a goal and an assist for three points apiece.
Duke has also been strong in conference openers in recent seasons. Since the adjusted two-semester schedule in 2020-21, the Blue Devils are 4-0-1 in ACC openers. Last year’s 1-1 draw at Cal ended a four-match winning streak in league openers that included wins at Virginia in 2024, against Virginia in 2023, at Louisville in 2022 and against Virginia Tech in 2021.
This year’s opener comes on the road, and Duke will have played four of its six conference openers away from home in that span. The Blue Devils are also making their first road trip of the season after opening with four straight home matches. With 13 of their 17 regular-season games scheduled at home, this is a rare stretch away from Freeman Field at Koskinen Stadium.
The road doesn’t stop after Wake Forest. Duke stays away from home next week for a trip to NC State, and after that back-to-back swing, the Blue Devils won’t play on the road again until Oct. 10 at SMU.
Beyond the soccer itself, Duke’s men’s and women’s programs have teamed with Duke Children’s on the Kicks for Kids initiative to benefit Pets at Duke, a service of the Duke Cancer Patient Support Program. Pets at Duke sends specially trained therapy dogs to patients in the hospital and clinics, offering comfort and companionship during treatment. Kicks for Kids pledges are based on the combined goals, assists, shots, corner kicks and saves recorded by both Duke programs.
In Other News...
Kyrie Irving Just Put More Heat On A Huge Cooper Flagg Debate
Kyrie Irvings return to the floor is already shaping the conversation around Dallas next chapter, and it is doing so before he even plays a meaningful game for the Mavericks again. After missing last season because of injury, Irving is expected to open the upcoming year back in the lineup, with new coach Dusty May praising both his work ethic and his talent after offseason workouts. For Duke fans following Cooper Flaggs transition into the NBA, the setup matters because Dallas is clearly trying to build its early-season identity around star power.
The larger question is how long that picture stays intact. Dallas plans to begin the season with Irving and Flagg together, but Irvings name has also come up in trade chatter around the league, which adds another layer to a decision the Mavericks appear ready to make. For now, the team seems committed to seeing what the pairing looks like, and that keeps the Cooper Flagg debate very much alive as camp approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Opened With A Win But One Problem Stood Out
A long weather delay made the opener feel even more like a season reset, but Duke handled the night well enough to leave with a 17-3 win over Tulane and a few encouraging signs on both sides of the ball. Nate Sheppard set the tone on the ground, the defense kept Tulane from finding much rhythm, and the Blue Devils looked comfortable leaning on multiple tight ends while getting steady help from punter Kate Reynoldson in the special-teams game.
Still, the kind of opener that reveals a teams identity also tends to expose the loose ends. Even with Duke in control for much of the game, the passing attack never fully matched the rest of the operation, and that stood out in a way the final score couldnt quite hide. For a team that wanted to start clean and leave with answers, the next step may be figuring out how to make the downfield game fit the rest of what looked so solid. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Opening Win Brought One Early Offensive Concern Into Focus
The Duke Blue Devils opened the season with a 17-3 win over Tulane, and the result came with the kind of early-season balance coaches usually welcome. The defense set a hard tone, with Bryce Davis finishing with two sacks and three tackles for loss, while the ground game gave Duke a reliable way to control the night and keep the Green Wave from settling in.
Even so, the opener also put one offensive issue in plain view. The passing game never really found its rhythm, and Duke will spend the next stretch trying to make sure the offense is not too dependent on one side of the ledger. The Blue Devils have the win they wanted, but they also have a clear area to clean up before the schedule gets more demanding. [Read more 🡒]