Before a late goal Friday against Duke, forward Patrick Mullins’ scoreless streak had dated back to Sept. 9.

Alex Lee was calm and collected as he prepared for a heated matchup against rival Duke last week.

The Terrapins men’s soccer defender was about to face his biggest test of the season in Blue Devils forward Andrew Wenger. The reigning College Soccer News National Player of the Week, Wenger had scorched opposing defenses with a Division I-leading 15 goals this season.

Yet as he stood on the No. 3 Terps’ practice field Oct. 13, Lee wasn’t concerned with Wenger’s gaudy statistics. He was focused on doing what the Terps’ backline has done all season: shut down elite attackers.

“He’s a great player, and we’re definitely going to have our hands full,” Lee said. “But I think the back four’s real focused. I think we’ll do a great job against him.”

He was right. With Lee and fellow center back London Woodberry marking him the majority of the night, Wenger failed to score a goal for just the third time in five weeks. The usually efficient junior missed on all five of his shot attempts.

That stalwart defensive effort proved pivotal as the Terps handed Duke its first loss in more than a month — a reality not lost on coach Sasho Cirovski.

“I thought our back four were outstanding,” Cirovski said after the game. “We wanted to neutralize Andrew Wenger as much as we could, and I thought they did an unbelievable job.”

Friday’s performance was yet another example of the Terps’ ability to neutralize some of the nation’s top offensive talent.

The leading goal scorers from the Terps’ 15 opponents this season have combined for just three goals against them. Among the players who have shared in Wenger’s inability to score against Cirovski’s squad are MLS forward prospects Guiseppe Gentile (Charlotte) and Ethan Finlay (Creighton).

“They’re really proving they’re the best defense in the country,” midfielder John Stertzer said.

The Terps will get another challenge Friday when they travel to Chapel Hill to face Billy Schuler and No. 2 North Carolina. Schuler ranks fifth in the ACC with 10 goals this season.

BREAKTHROUGHS

As if they didn’t already have enough to celebrate, Friday’s 4-2 win over the Blue Devils snapped scoring droughts for two key Terps.

Midfielder Sunny Jane netted his first goal of the season after he took a header from forward Casey Townsend in the 15th minute and burst away from Duke’s backline. Jane, who leads the Terps with five assists this season, had missed 24 consecutive shots before evening the score at 1-1.

And with the Terps’ 13th win already secured, forward Patrick Mullins notched a goal of his own in the 85th minute at the far post. Mullins, who scored five goals in the Terps’ first five games this season, hadn’t scored since Sept. 9.

“Well, for both those guys, we knew it was just a matter of time for Sunny to get his first,” Stertzer said. “And Pat, you know, he’d been struggling a little bit with the finishing touch. But you know, we all knew he was going to put one in. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them flowing in afterwards.”

LUDWIG LUCK

Friday night’s record crowd helped pad the Terps’ already impressive attendance numbers this season.

The Terps lead the ACC with an average home attendance of 4,223. That nearly doubles Clemson, the next-closest team, which averages 2,468 fans a game.

And with visiting teams not used to the Terps’ large crowds, the home-field advantage has been evident. They’ve outscored opponents 28-7 at Ludwig Field this season.

If the Terps beat Wake Forest in their next and final home game Nov. 3, they’ll finish the regular season unbeaten at home for the first time since 2005.

“It’s always going to be tough on the other team to keep playing [at Ludwig],” Stertzer said, “so we know we just have to keep playing our soccer and keep going at them.”

letourneau@umdbk.com