Tag: Robbie Church

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.

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 soccer coach Robbie Church announces that 2024 will be his final season

Robbie Church, who has coached the Blue Devils since July of 2001, announced on Monday that 2024 will be his final season at the helm.

For the first time in more than two decades, the Duke women’s soccer team will have a new coach in 2025.

Robbie Church, who first took over the program in July 2001, revealed on Monday that the 2024 season would be his last with the team. He cited spending more time with his family, including his wife and two children, as motivation for the decision.

“I feel like the past 23 years I’ve been the luckiest person in the world,” Church said in a release announcing the decision. “It’s been a great career and ride. I’ve enjoyed it, but like everything it must come to an end and I feel personally for myself, it’s just time.”

Church won 293 games over the last 23 seasons, including 41 NCAA Tournament victories and two ACC regular-season titles (2011 and 2017). He earned ACC Coach of the Year honors for both seasons and was named the Soccer America National Coach of the Year in 2011.

Just because Church already has one eye on his post-Duke life doesn’t mean he’s less invested in the 2024 season, however. He made that very clear in his statement.

“My retirement will start after our final match of the 2024 season and I hope that isn’t until December,” Chuch said. “I am all in this year and I’m excited about this team. I think we have great potential and we can be one of the best teams in the country.”

The team didn’t need to look far for Church’s replacement. Associate head coach Kieran Hall, who joined the program six seasons ago, will take over once Church steps aside.