July 27, 2001

As head coach John Rennie enters his 24th year at Duke, he has one of his toughest tasks ahead of him in 2001. The Blue Devils lost one of the most talented senior classes in the history of the program with the loss of Robert Russell, Ali Curtis, Nii-Amar Amamoo, Dwayne Harris, Stephen Pate, Jeff Haywood, and Ryan Furgurson, but will feature a stellar group of young talent on the roster.

"We lost a goalkeeper, three defenders, one of the best midfielders we've ever had in Russell and our all-time leading scorer [Curtis]," said Rennie. "We lost quality and quantity, which makes it difficult to predict exactly what our team is going to be like this season.

The Blue Devil attack will feature several new faces, but a recruiting class that is high on quality and quantity much like the out going class could offset the defections. A major determinant of the team's success will be how good the new players really are and how quickly they adjust to the college game.

"There are going to be a lot of new faces out there. The biggest problem could be how quickly we come together as a team," stated Rennie. "How quickly the new players and returning players are able to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses and play together as a team is going to determine how good of a team we will become."

This year's group looks to build on a string of three consecutive NCAA appearances and 23 straight winning seasons. Although several key members are gone from last year's squad, the Blue Devils have enough talented returning players to carry on the tradition of excellence that Rennie has established during his tenure.

GOALKEEPER
The graduation of second team All-ACC performer Jeff Haywood leaves senior Scott Maslin as the veteran goalie on this year's team. As a junior, he saw action in four contests, making two starts. He allowed seven goals in 186 minutes of work. "Maslin had a very good spring for us. We hope he will step in and do a great job, he has prepared and been waiting for this opportunity," said Rennie.

A pair of talented freshmen recruits, Justin Trowbridge and Mark Valdez will back up Maslin while also pushing him for playing time. Sophomore Michael Kovach can also work his way into the keeper mix with a strong preseason.

DEFENSE
The defense is a reworked unit, but still features three or four returners who can help carry the load. Duke loses three players, including two starters from its stellar 2000 defense that recorded eight shutouts while allowing just 1.37 goals per game. The defense will be the most reorganized part of the team, but will again be led by senior captain Kevin Sakuda.

Sakuda, a native of Fremont, Calif., has been a staple in the Blue Devil defense starting all 63 contests during his career, registering one goal and nine assists during that stretch.

Trevor Perea

Juniors Andy Borman and Robert Antoniou, have gained valuable experience despite not being full-time starters and will again help anchor the defensive unit.

A large group of incoming defensive players is also expected to contribute right away. Matt Ahumada, a transfer from Indiana University, along with freshmen Matt White and Joe Kelly are expected to see significant playing time.

Junior Cedric Burke and sophomore Mark Mattern may also work their way into the defensive rotation.

MIDFIELD
Filling the void left by the loss of possibly the best midfielder in school history is never a pretty picture, but the Blue Devils are faced with that challenge with the loss of Robert Russell.

Despite the absence of Russell, the midfield will again be strength for the team. "We have some very good returning midfielders in Trevor Perea, Scott Noble, Adam Guren and Donald McIntosh, who have started a lot of games," said Rennie. "Hopefully those guys will find a way to compensate for Robert."

Noble, a senior, registered 17 points last season on five goals and seven assists, while the junior trio of Perea, Guren and McIntosh combined for six goals and 10 assists.

Freshman Victor Victorsson, a member of the Iceland youth national team, is a talented newcomer who will also help compensate for the loss of Russell.

Also competing for playing time in the midfield will be senior Noah Lewkowitz, juniors Byron Rausenberger and Jamal McClendon, sophomore Justin Bodiya and freshmen Jeff Miller and Evan Harrell.

Forward
Much like in the midfield, the Blue Devils will be without one of its top players in recent history. All-time goal scoring leader Ali Curtis is gone, but a skilled group led by sophomore Jordan Cila returns.

Cila, a second team All-ACC selection, was one of the best freshmen in the country last season. His 13 goals were the second highest total by a freshman in Duke history while his 35 points ranked third all-time among first year players."

Jordan Cila

Demetrio Sanchez, a senior, came on strong at the end of last year and backed that up with a tremendous spring. He contributed five goals and one assist in 18 contests last season.

Port of Spain, Trinidad native Owoicho Adogwa solidifies the forward position with speed and striking abilities similar to those possessed by Curtis.

Sophomore Paul Dungel and Danny Wymer provide depth and versatility to the offensive attack.

Schedule
Duke again will face an extremely difficult schedule both in and out of conference play. The Blue Devils play in three competitive tournaments, the Adidas/Wolfpack Classic, the Rutgers/Adidas Classic and the Big Four Tournament, as well as hosting the Duke/Adidas Classic. This year's Duke/Adidas Classic features N.C. State, South Florida and Richmond.

Road contests outside of ACC play include trips to Radford and Campbell while Mercer, Appalachian State and UNC-Wilmington invade Koskinen Stadium. Rennie expects conference play to be challenging for the young Blue Devils with several of the league foes maintaining a strong, returning nucleus of players.