Tag: Duke Women’s Soccer

Duke women’s soccer gets title dreams denied by North Carolina in national semifinal

Duke women’s soccer saw its remarkable 2024 season come to a close on Friday night with a X-X semifinal loss to North Carolina.

The Duke women’s soccer team came up just 180 minutes short of a national title after its 3-0 national semifinal loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday.

The Blue Devils entered the postseason as the No. 1 overall seed with a 14-2-1 record, and they shut out their first four tournament opponents to clinch their fifth-ever trip to the NCAA College Cup. With one game between them and a chance at the championship, they drew their rivals for the fourth time this season.

Duke defeated UNC in both regular-season meetings between the schools, but the Tar Heels knocked them out of the ACC Tournament last month, and they swept set on sweeping the postseason from the early stages of Friday’s match.

Kate Faasse beat Duke keeper Leah Freeman on a penalty kick in the 10th minute, sending her effort in the right direction for Freeman’s first goal allowed since November 7. The Blue Devils couldn’t even the match for the next 14 minutes, but UNC’s Bella Gaetino produced a dagger in the 24th with a phenomenal pass over the top of the Duke defense.

Her cross-field kick hung in the Cary sky for five full seconds before dropping at the feet of teammate Olivia Thomas, who managed to outrace Duke’s Nicky Chico and rifled a shot into the back of the net.

The deficit proved insurmountable from there. The Blue Devils managed to get 17 shots off before the end of the game, but only five ended up finding their target, and UNC keeper Clare Gagne managed to intercept all of those. Faasse set Maddie Dahlien up for another goal in the 59th minute, and the Tar Heels cruised to the title game from there.

Longtime Duke head coach Robbie Church, who announced ahead of the 2024 season that it would be his last with the program, ends his tenure with a 311-150-67 record and three College Cup trips over 24 years with the Blue Devils

Duke women’s soccer set to face North Carolina Tar Heels in national semifinals

Duke women’s soccer booked its first ticket to the national semifinals since 2017 on Saturday night, and an old rival awaits next weekend.

The Duke women’s soccer team punched its fifth ticket to the NCAA College Cup on Saturday night, a 1-0 victory over Virginia Tech that sent the Blue Devils back to the national semifinals for the first time since 2017.

While head coach Robbie Church’s final season in Durham has felt like something from a fairy tale thus far, the team from Chapel Hill wants a word before the journey takes another step. Duke will face the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday, December 6, with a spot in the national title game on the line.

The Blue Devils defeated UNC in Durham for the first time ever on September 5, a 1-0 victory punctuated by a Maggie Graham goal in the final minute of the first half. Duke followed that up with a 3-2 victory over the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill on October 31, but North Carolina bounced the Blue Devils from the ACC Tournament with a 2-1 win on November 7.

That game is Duke’s only outright loss since August 15.

The Blue Devils have shut out each of their first four postseason opponents, defeating Howard, Texas Tech, the Michigan State Spartans, and the Hokies by a combined margin of 14-0.

Friday’s game starts at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time and will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Duke women’s soccer clinches fifth NCAA College Cup appearance in program history

The Duke Blue Devils advanced to the NCAA College Cup for the fifth time ever on Saturday night thanks to a 1-0 win over Virginia Tech.

The winning goal in Saturday night’s game literally hit fifth-year Duke defender Katie Groff in the chest.

The Virginia Tech Hokies managed to deflect a corner kick in the 33rd minute, but Cameron Roller sent the ball flying back toward the net with a solid kick. Thanks to a redirection from a Hokie in the way, it ended up bouncing off Groff and landing directly at her feet for a game-changing opening.

Groff reacted immediately, spinning on her heel and pelting the ball toward the net behind her. Virginia Tech keeper Lauren Hargrove dove toward her in a blind effort to stop the go-ahead goal, but Groff’s effort found a gap to reach its destination.

The surreal story of Duke women’s soccer coach Robbie Church’s final season continued on Saturday night when the Blue Devils took down the Virginia Tech Hokies 1-0 in the national quarterfinals to reach the NCAA College Cup.

The Blue Devils again commanded possession against their conference foe, getting off 13 shots while only surrendering four openings to the Hokies, but Groff was the only player on either roster to convert.

Duke goalkeeper Leah Freeman, the ACC Goalkeeper of the Year, continued her absolutely dominant postseason form. The Blue Devils have shut out all four of their NCAA Tournament foes thanks to her five saves, including three against Virginia Tech.

As luck would have it, the Blue Devils will face the North Carolina Tar Heels in the national semifinals on December 6. Duke swept UNC in the regular season, including its first-ever win over the Tar Heels in Durham, but the Blue Devils’ bitter rivals beat them in the ACC Tournament for one of Duke’s two losses this year.

Duke women’s soccer shuts out Texas Tech to reach third round of NCAA Tournament

Duke women’s soccer shut out yet another NCAA Tournament foe on Friday, beating Texas Tech 3-0 to reach the third round.

The Duke women’s soccer team held their postseason opponent scoreless at Koskinen Stadium for the second straight game, defeating the Texas Tech Red Raiders 3-0 on Friday night to reach the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Blue Devils entered Friday’s game with nothing but momentum. Duke entered the postseason as the top overall seed after a 14-2-1 regular season record, and it delivered on that reputation with an 8-0 victory over Howard after sophomore Mia Minestrella scored four goals. However, the Red Raiders held their own for nearly half the game with no score through the first 43 minutes.

However, as the opening half drew to a close, a familiar name came through for the Blue Devils. Fifth-year midfielder Maggie Graham, who scored twice against Howard, managed to beat a defender to control a deflected ball near the top of the box with about 70 seconds left on the clock.

Graham surged forward and booted an effort toward the far corner of the net, just beating the outstretched hand of Red Raiders goalie Faith Nguyen for the opening goal.

Less than eight minutes after play resumed, Ella Hase raced down the pitch toward the goal before firing a crosser toward Graham. With a Texas Tech defender on her right arm, the Blue Devils star managed to pop a touch shot over Nguyen’s right shoulder for her second goal of the night.

In the blink of an eye, the Red Raiders went from holding their own against the best team in the country to a near-insurmountable deficit. Graham’s four postseason goals have her up to 14 for the season, 10 more than her previous career high.

Mia Oliaro tacked on the third goal of the evening in the final five minutes, and Duke keeper Leah Freeman only needed to save one attempt from the Red Raiders. Duke ended with 19 shots to Texas Tech’s five.

The Blue Devils will face Michigan State in the next round of the postseason after the Spartans took down the Texas Longhorns, 3-2.

Mia Minestrella finishes with four goals in Duke’s first-round NCAA Tournament victory

Duke women’s soccer, the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, cruised to a 8-0 victory over Howard in the first round on Friday.

The Duke women’s soccer team looked the part of the first overall seed against Howard on Friday night thanks to six combined goals from Mia Minestrella and Maggie Graham.

Minestrella, a sophomore who entered the postseason with eight goals for the year, put her first two on the board in short succession midway through the first half. She somehow found a gap between three Bison defenders in the 18th minute, firing a laser into the net from the edge of the penalty box, and she punched another kick past the Howard goalie from close range just eight minutes later to make it a 2-0 game.

Graham, the team’s leading scorer through the regular season with 10 goals, tacked on two herself in the opening minutes of the second half, but it was Minestrella’s turn again soon after. The sophomore clinched her first career hat trick in the 55th minute, pelting the ball toward the right corner of the goal and raising her arms in triumph before it even hit the net.

Her fourth goal, a header, put the game even farther out of reach as the Duke continued to hold Howard scoreless for the night. The Blue Devils eventually won 8-0.

The Blue Devils advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with the victory, where they will face either the LSU Tigers or Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Duke draws the No. 1 overall seed in NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship bracket

The Duke Blue Devils were announced as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship bracket on Monday.

The Duke women’s soccer team was announced as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship bracket on Monday evening.

The Blue Devils, who won the ACC regular-season title for the third time this century, finished with a 14-1-1 record before losing to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Duke still owns the season series against their in-state rivals, beating them in Durham for the first time ever in September before winning in Chapel Hill on October 31.

Before the ACC Championship, the Blue Devils hadn’t lost a game since the season opener against the Ohio State Buckeyes on August 15th.

Head coach Robbie Church announced ahead of the season that this year would be his last with the program, and it seems like Duke has rallied around him. Fifth-year senior Maggie Graham earned ACC Midfielder of the Year honors after scoring 10 goals and adding five assists in 17 games, and sophomore Mia Oliara (a Chapel Hill native) paced the team with 11 assists.

Cameron Roller and Leah Freeman were named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and ACC Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively.

The Blue Devils face Howard in the opening round on Friday, and should they advance, either the LSU Tigers or Texas Tech Red Raiders would be waiting for them in the next round.

Duke women’s soccer takes home ACC regular-season crown

In head coach Robbie Church’s final season, the Duke women’s soccer clinched the ACC regular-season title on Sunday night.

The Duke women’s soccer team capped off a special 2024 season by clinching the ACC regular-season title on Sunday night for the first time in seven years.

The Blue Devils made it official with a 2-0 victory over Wake Forest, their eighth win in nine conference matches.

Duke still has another ACC opponent left on the schedule, a Thursday road trip to Chapel Hill against the North Carolina Tar Heels, but a 13-1-1 overall record and an 8-0-1 conference mark through 15 matches make that result irrelevant for the final standings. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish battled the Blue Devils to a 3-3 tie on October 24, but no one has beaten them outright since the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first game of the regular season on August 15.

The Blue Devils already authored one special moment against UNC earlier this season with a 1-0 victory back on September 5, their first home win over the Tar Heels in school history.

This historic year becomes even sweeter when fans remember that 2024 will be the final season with longtime head coach Robbie Church at the helm. This is the third regular-season conference title under Church, who first took over the program back in July 2001. Duke also won the ACC crown in 2011 and 2017.

Duke women’s soccer defeats North Carolina at home for the first time ever

For the first time in program history, Duke women’s soccer took down North Carolina in Durham on Thursday night.

The Duke women’s soccer team made program history on Thursday night in the sweetest way possible, defeating the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels in Durham for the first time ever.

UNC entered the rivalry battle with a perfect 6-0 record this season, but after a nearly scoreless first half, the Blue Devils were the ones who struck first.

Duke defender Cameron Roller cleared the ball across the pitch with just under a minute to play in the half. Forwards Mia Minestrella and Maggie Graham waited down at the other end, but with a trio of Tar Heels defenders surrounding them, any chance at breaking the tie seemed unlikely.

In the kind of bounce that defines such a historic upset, Roller’s contested pass careened off of a UNC defender, bounced off Minestrella’s leg, and popped out of the crowd by Graham’s waiting feet with nothing but green grass between her and the goal.

Graham forged ahead with a North Carolina defender closing over her left shoulder and UNC goalkeeper Clare Gagne charging forward to meet her. Just before the two Tar Heels converged on her, Graham slipped her go-ahead effort toward the right corner of the goal.

Her shot found the net in what proved to be the only score of the evening.

https://twitter.com/NCAASoccer/status/1831864757646979393

The Blue Devils kept their one-goal lead for the entire second half thanks to a perfect five-for-five game from keeper Leah Freeman. When the time ran out, for the first time in school history, Duke came out on top.

“I feel ecstatic,” Graham said in an interview after the game. “This has been the best game ever. To score the goal was something else, but just to see my team pull together and play the best we have all season, it’s just so inspiring.”

“It makes me believe we can really do something this year and hopefully win a national championship.”

https://twitter.com/DukeWSOC/status/1831867224312951059

Duke, in what will be legendary head coach Robbie Church’s final season with the team, improves to 3-1-1 for the young season.

Duke women’s soccer picks up first 2024 win against Nebraska

The Duke women’s soccer team broke into 2024’s win column on Thursday with a 3-0 triumph over Nebraska.

The Duke women’s soccer team is finally in the win column for 2024.

The Blue Devils (1-1) took down Nebraska (1-2) on the road on Thursday, a 3-0 win headlined by two goals in a nine-minute span during the second half.

Longtime head coach Robbie Church previously revealed that 2024 would be his final season at the program’s helm, but his swan song got off on the wrong foot last week against Ohio State. Despite nearly quadrupling the Buckeyes’ total shots on target (11-3), Duke fell short by a 1-0 margin for an opening loss.

The team refused to allow the same outcome against the Cornhuskers. Duke forward Ella Hase scored the team’s first goal of the season in the 14th minute, one of 10 shots on goal as the Blue Devils continued their offensive onslaught.

However, late in the second half, the dam finally broke. Farrah Walters broke through for the team’s second goal in the 69th minute. Eight minutes later, Mia Minestrella put the game out of reach with another goal, the second of two assists from teammate Mia Oliaro.

With the opening Big Ten road trip now in the rearview mirror, Duke returns to Durham for its next five games. The Blue Devils take the field again next Thursday against UNC Wilmington.

Duke women’s soccer loses to Ohio State in 2024 season opener

The Blue Devils women’s soccer team hit the road for the school’s first 2024-25 event on Thursday, unfortunately a 1-0 loss to Ohio State.

The Duke athletic calendar is finally here as the Blue Devils women’s soccer team kicked off its schedule on Thursday with a road trip to Ohio State.

Unfortunately, the Buckeyes got the better of Duke with a goal in the 55th minute, the only score in a 1-0 game.

After a 6-7-3 season last fall saw the Blue Devils win just one of their last nine matches (five losses and three ties), Duke coach Robbie Church hoped to get the team headed in the right direction for his final season at the helm.

Despite the result, underlying statistics offered some promise for the program going forward. The Blue Devils fired off 21 shots over the course of the game against the Buckeyes’ nine, including a 15-6 differential in the second half. 11 of Duke’s shots found their target, including a staggering seven just from midfielders Carina Lageyre and Hannah Bebar, but Ohio State goalkeeper Molly Pritchard saved all 11 attempts.

The Buckeyes only connected for three shots on target, all of which came from forward Kailyn Dudukovich, but she snuck one by Duke keeper Leah Freeman early in the second half for the difference-maker.

The Blue Devils get another chance to notch their first win against Nebraska on August 22.