2008 Woodie Awards
Durham showdown
Soccer focuses on defense heading into Duke tourney
Dan Hunninghake
Issue date: 9/7/07 Section: Sports
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Head coach Dan Donigan and the Billiken men's soccer team were six minutes away from defeating one of the top teams in the country Aug. 31, when they faced off against Southern Methodist University on the road.
But the match-up against the No. 8 Mustangs is only the first of three important top-20 match-ups that will take place in the next two weeks. The Bills travel to Duke University this weekend to compete in tournament play against NC State University tonight and No. 2 Duke on Sunday. Following the tourney, the team returns home to play No. 4 Indiana Sept. 15.
"We are in for a challenging weekend against two very good teams," Donigan said. "NC State doesn't get the recognition it deserves. It is unfortunate that they play in the top soccer conference in the country, and I think they will surprise a lot of teams this year."
NC State tied then-No. 1 UCLA 2-2 in its first exhibition match, and is not the type of team to be taken lightly. The Wolfpack (2-0-0), who have historically contended for Atlantic Coast Confernce titles, struggled last season finishing with a 6-10-1 record. This year, though, the Pack return seven starters and boast one of the best recruiting classes in the country.
Heading into the game, SLU has a 2-0-1 record all time against the Wolfpack. Their last meeting was in 1995, when the Billikens defeated NC State 5-1 on a neutral field hosted by Indiana University.
Even though the history between this rivalry favors SLU, the Billiken mentality is to take one game at a time, according to senior midfielder Brian Grazier.
"We aren't even focusing on Duke; all our energy is geared toward the NC State match at this point," he said.
In preparation for the match, Donigan has worked to improve SLU's defensive shape and organization, the areas that gave them problems in the preseason exhibition matches.
"We were positioned wrong in the first couple matches, so now we are working on compacting the field and staying connected in order to make the field smaller," Grazier said. "When we push up, we push up everything; and when we defend, we defend everything."
But the match-up against the No. 8 Mustangs is only the first of three important top-20 match-ups that will take place in the next two weeks. The Bills travel to Duke University this weekend to compete in tournament play against NC State University tonight and No. 2 Duke on Sunday. Following the tourney, the team returns home to play No. 4 Indiana Sept. 15.
"We are in for a challenging weekend against two very good teams," Donigan said. "NC State doesn't get the recognition it deserves. It is unfortunate that they play in the top soccer conference in the country, and I think they will surprise a lot of teams this year."
NC State tied then-No. 1 UCLA 2-2 in its first exhibition match, and is not the type of team to be taken lightly. The Wolfpack (2-0-0), who have historically contended for Atlantic Coast Confernce titles, struggled last season finishing with a 6-10-1 record. This year, though, the Pack return seven starters and boast one of the best recruiting classes in the country.
Heading into the game, SLU has a 2-0-1 record all time against the Wolfpack. Their last meeting was in 1995, when the Billikens defeated NC State 5-1 on a neutral field hosted by Indiana University.
Even though the history between this rivalry favors SLU, the Billiken mentality is to take one game at a time, according to senior midfielder Brian Grazier.
"We aren't even focusing on Duke; all our energy is geared toward the NC State match at this point," he said.
In preparation for the match, Donigan has worked to improve SLU's defensive shape and organization, the areas that gave them problems in the preseason exhibition matches.
"We were positioned wrong in the first couple matches, so now we are working on compacting the field and staying connected in order to make the field smaller," Grazier said. "When we push up, we push up everything; and when we defend, we defend everything."
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