Duke Blue Devils women's soccer

Duke Blue Devils women's soccer
2024 Duke Blue Devils women's soccer team
Founded	1988;36 years ago (1988)
University	Duke University
Head coach	Robbie Church (24th season)
Conference	ACC
Location	Durham, North Carolina
Stadium	Koskinen Stadium (Capacity: 4,500)
Nickname	Blue Devils
Colors	Duke blue and white [1]
Home Away
NCAA Tournament runner-up
1992, 2011, 2015
NCAA Tournament College Cup
1992, 2011, 2015, 2017
NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
1992, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022
NCAA Tournament Round of 16
1992, 1996, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022
NCAA Tournament appearances
1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Conference Regular Season championships
1994, 2011, 2017, 2024

The Duke Blue Devils women's soccer team represent Duke University in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) of NCAA Division I women's college soccer. The team was founded in 1988. ^[2] The Blue Devils have won the ACC regular season championship three times. The team has advanced to the NCAA Women's soccer tournament 25 times, including 4 College Cup appearances.

History

1980s

Duke Women's Soccer was established in 1988 under head coach Bill Hempen, who was a Duke Men's soccer coach prior to this position. ^[2] Hempen was assisted by Carla Overbeck, ^[3] a previous player at UNC Chapel Hill. While at UNC, Overbeck remained unbeaten for four seasons, and won four national championships. Dukes first two seasons were successful ones. The team won 10 games in their inaugural 1988 season, and followed that with 14 wins in 1989. The two seasons had a combined 1–4–1 ACC record and the team did not make an NCAA Tournament appearance in either season.

1990s

The 1990s began with a similar story of out of conference success, but ACC struggle. The Blue Devils only managed one ACC win each season in 1990–1992. However, in 1992, the team finished as runner up in the ACC Tournament and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. In their first-ever NCAA appearance, Duke made it all the way to the final, only to lose to North Carolina. This began a string of six consecutive NCAA appearances for the team. The Blue Devils also notched a then program record 17 wins in 1992 and 1994. The streak of NCAA Tournament appearances ended in 1998, when the Blue Devils failed to qualify for the tournament after a 7–11–2 season. During this stretch the team never advanced past the second round in the NCAA Tournament, but did win double digit games in each year. The decade ended with a return to the NCAA tournament and a 13–10–0 season in 1999.

In 1999, while coaching at Duke, Overbeck played in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup ^[4] as a captain. This team went on to win the world championship.

2000s

In 2001, the Duke Women's Soccer program received a new head coach, Robbie Church,. ^[5] Church was assisted by Overbeck and Billy Lesesne, ^[6] who had coached with Church at Vanderbilt. Previous coach, Bill Hempen, took a new job with the Colorado Buffaloes. ^[7] The transition would prove a difficult one, with the Blue Devils winning 9 and 8 games in Hempen's first two seasons. In 2002, Duke missed the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in 11 years. However, the lull would not last for long. 2003 saw the team win 14 games and start a new streak of NCAA appearances. The following year, 2004, the Blue Devils won 15 games and reached the NCAA Round of 16. The team reached the NCAA Tournament for the remainder of the decade, and reached the Quarterfinals twice, in 2007 and 2008. 2009 proved to be a down year with the team finishing 8–9–4 and only reaching the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

2010s

Schuyler DeBree DWS member, in action v Boston College, 2014

The decade began with a run to the NCAA Round of 16 in 2010. 2011 proved an even better season. The Blue Devils set a new record for total wins in a season with 22 en route to the NCAA Final. However, they would fall short to Stanford in the final. 2012 and 2013 also saw runs to the NCAA Quarterfinals, but the 2013 campaign only yielded 9 total wins. In 2014, Lesesne left Duke for a head coaching job at Georgia, and was replaced by Erwin van Bennekom. ^[8] 2014 proved difficult, as the Blue Devils had their first losing season since 2009 and ended a spell of eleven straight NCAA Tournament appearances. However, 2014 would prove to be just a blip. In the 2015 season, the Blue Devils women's soccer team made a run to the final of the Women's Soccer College Cup, ^[9] which they lost to Penn State by a score of 1–0. 2017 saw the team set a program record for total wins with 23 and ACC wins with 10. The Blue Devils made another run to the College Cup. This time they lost to UCLA on penalties.

2020s

The decade started with a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The team played a shortened non-conference schedule in the spring and played a reduced ACC schedule. They finished in fifth place in the ACC with a 4–2–2 record. They reached the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, posting their best result in that tournament since 2017. 2021 saw a return to a more normal schedule where the team finished 16–4–1 and 7–2–1 in ACC play to finish in third place. They again reached the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. In 2022, the Blue Devils finished 15–5–3 overall and 6–2–2 in ACC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They extended their streak of NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal appearances to three, but were again stopped at that stage. 2023 did not end well for the Blue Devils as they finished 6–7–3 overall and 2–5–3 in ACC play. Their six total wins were the lowest in program history at the time, and their two total conference wins were the lowest since the 2002 season. It was the first season in seven years they did not qualify for the ACC tournament and it ended an eight-year streak of qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

Personnel

Current roster

As of July 10, 2024 ^[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 0 GK   USA Leah Freeman 2 FW   USA Kat Rader 3 FW   USA Ella Hase 4 DF   USA Baleigh Bruster 5 DF   USA Phoebe Goldthwaite 6 MF   USA Devin Lynch 7 DF   USA Cameron Roller 8 FW   USA Elle Piper 9 MF   USA Lauren Martinho 10 MF   USA Mary Long 11 FW   USA Julia Saunicheva 12 MF   USA Taylor Evans 13 FW   USA Mia Minestrella 14 FW   USA Sophia Recupero

No. Pos. Nation Player 15 FW   USA Mia Oliaro 16 MF   USA Carina Lageyre 17 DF   USA Nicole Chico 18 MF   USA Hannah Bebar 19 MF   USA Maggie Graham 20 DF   USA Kelly Wilson 21 DF   USA Katie Groff 22 DF   USA Sam Bodensteiner 24 DF   USA Kaeden Koons-Perdikis 25 FW   USA Madison Foxhoven 26 GK   USA Bianca Dominguez 27 FW   USA Farrah Walters 30 GK   USA Caroline Dysart

Team management

Position	Staff
Head coach	Robbie Church
Assistant coach	Keieran Hall
Assistant coach	Carla Overbeck
Assistant coach	Jason Lowe

As of November 20, 2023 ^[10]

Facilities

The Blue Devils play on Koskinen Stadium. The Koskinen is also home to the men's soccer team, along with the men's and women's lacrosse teams. The stadium was dedicated in 1999 in honor of John and Patricia Koskinen. The stadium can hold around 7,000 fans. ^[11] Kennedy Tower is a new addition to Koskinen Stadium. It was recently dedicated in 2015 in honor of Chris and Ana Kennedy. Chris is the Duke Senior Deputy Director of Athletes. The Kennedy Tower, offers press boxes and hospitality suites to the top of Koskinen Stadium. ^[12] The teams' locker rooms are in the Willam David Murray Building. The Duke Football team used to use the Murray Building from 1988 to 2002. Then the men's and women's soccer and lacrosse teams moved into the building. It houses the training room and weight room for all other Olympic Sports teams. ^[13]

Seasons

Season	Head coach [14]	Season result [15]						Tournament results [16]
		Overall			Conference			Conference	NCAA
		Wins	Losses	Ties	Wins	Losses	Ties
1988	Bill Hempen	10	6	1	0	1	1	First round	—
1989		14	8	0	1	3	0	First round	—
1990		12	8	0	1	3	0	Second Round	—
1991		8	10	1	1	2	1	First round	—
1992		17	5	2	1	2	1	Runner up	NCAA Runner Up
1993		12	6	3	2	1	1	Runner up	NCAA First Round
1994		17	5	1	5	0	1	Runner up	NCAA Second Round
1995		14	7	1	4	3	0	Second Round	NCAA Second Round
1996		10	10	3	3	3	1	First round	NCAA Second Round
1997		14	6	1	6	1	0	Second Round	NCAA First Round
1998		7	11	2	0	5	2	First round	—
1999		13	10	0	2	5	0	First round	NCAA Second Round
2000		14	8	1	4	3	0	Runner up	NCAA Second Round
2001	Robbie Church	8	10	1	2	5	0	First round	NCAA Second Round
2002		9	9	2	2	3	2	Second Round	—
2003		14	7	1	4	3	0	Second Round	NCAA Second Round
2004		15	8	0	5	4	0	Second Round	NCAA Round of 16
2005		14	6	1	6	4	0	Second Round	NCAA Second Round
2006		9	8	4	5	4	1	First round	NCAA Second Round
2007		10	6	7	3	3	4	First round	NCAA Quarterfinal
2008		15	6	3	4	3	3	First round	NCAA Quarterfinal
2009		8	9	4	4	4	2	First round	NCAA First Round
2010		11	8	4	4	5	1	First round	NCAA Round of 16
2011		22	4	1	8	1	1	Second Round	NCAA Runner Up
2012		15	6	2	5	3	2	First round	NCAA Quarterfinal
2013		9	9	6	5	5	3	First round	NCAA Quarterfinal
2014		8	9	1	4	5	1	—	—
2015		14	6	5	4	3	3	—	NCAA Runner up
2016		15	5	3	7	2	1	First round	NCAA Quarterfinal
2017		23	2	1	10	0	0	Runner up	NCAA Semifinal
2018		16	4	2	8	1	1	First round	NCAA Round of 16
2019		9	4	7	3	1	6	First round	NCAA Second Round
2020		12	5	4	4	2	2	Second Round	NCAA Quarterfinal
2021		16	4	1	7	2	1	First round	NCAA Quarterfinal
2022		15	5	3	6	2	2	Semifinal	NCAA Quarterfinal
2023		6	7	3	2	5	3	—	—

Honors and awards

Michelle Cooper won the 2022 Hermann Trophy, becoming the first Duke women's soccer player to win college soccer's highest individual award. ^[17]

United Soccer Coaches All-Americans

The Blue Devils have received 20 All-American honors, including eight first-team selections. ^[18]

Name	Year
Michelle Cooper	2021 (1st team), 2022 (1st team)
Sophie Jones	2020 (3rd team)
Kayla McCoy	2018 (1st team)
Imani Dorsey	2017 (1st team)
Quinn [a]	2017 (1st team)
Schuyler DeBree	2017 (3rd team)
Christina Gibbons	2015 (2nd team), 2016 (1st team)
Natasha Anasi	2011 (1st team), 2012 (2nd team)
Kaitlyn Kerr	2011 (3rd team)
Becca Moros	2006 (3rd team)
Carolyn Ford	2005 (2nd team)
Sherrill Kester	1999 (3rd team)
Andi Melde	1997 (3rd team)
Kristy Whelchel	1996 (3rd team)
Kelly Walbert	1993 (1st team), 1994 (1st team), 1995 (2nd team)
Jennifer Lewis	1992 (2nd team)

All-ACC honorees

The Blue Devils have received 106 All-ACC honors, including 50 first-team selections. ^[18]

Name	Year	Other recognitions
Kat Rader	2022 (2nd team), 2023 (2nd team)	2022 ACC Freshman of the Year
Tess Boade	2021 (1st team)
Michelle Cooper	2021 (1st team), 2022 (1st team)	2021 ACC Freshman of the Year, 2021 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, 2022 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, 2022 MAC Hermann Trophy winner
Ruthie Jones	2021 (1st team), 2022 (2nd team)
Sophie Jones	2020 (1st team), 2021 (2nd team), 2022 (2nd team)
Delaney Graham	2019 (2nd team), 2020 (3rd team), 2022 (2nd team)
Taylor Mitchell	2020 (3rd team)
Ella Stevens	2016 (3rd team), 2017 (2nd team), 2018 (2nd team), 2019 (2nd team)
Kayla McCoy	2017 (1st team), 2018 (1st team)	2018 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist
Taylor Racioppi	2017 (2nd team), 2018 (2nd team)
Schuyler DeBree	2017 (1st team)	2017 ACC Defensive Player of the Year
Imani Dorsey	2016 (2nd team), 2017 (1st team)	2017 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, 2017 United Soccer Coaches National Scholar-Athlete of the Year
EJ Proctor	2017 (1st team)	2015 NCAA College Cup Most Valuable Defensive Player
Quinn [a]	2015 (3rd team), 2017 (1st team)	2017 ACC Midfielder of the Year, 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist
Ashton Miller	2015 (3rd team), 2017 (3rd team)
Christina Gibbons	2014 (2nd team), 2015 (1st team), 2016 (1st team)	2016 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, 2016 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist
Toni Payne	2014 (2nd team), 2016 (1st team)
Natasha Anasi	2011 (1st team), 2012 (2nd team), 2013 (2nd team)	2011 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, 2012 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist
Kim DeCesare	2012 (2nd team), 2013 (3rd team)
Cassie Pecht	2012 (2nd team)	2012 ACC Freshman of the Year
Laura Weinberg	2010 (2nd team), 2011 (2nd team), 2012 (1st team)
Kaitlyn Kerr	2011 (1st team)
Tara Campbell	2009 (2nd team), 2011 (2nd team)
Kelly Cobb	2011 (2nd team)
Mollie Pathman	2010 (2nd team), 2011 (2nd team)
KayAnne Gummersall	2009 (2nd team)
Elisabeth Redmond	2007 (2nd team), 2008 (1st team), 2009 (1st team)
Lorraine Quinn	2007 (1st team), 2008 (2nd team)
Darby Kroyer	2005 (2nd team), 2006 (2nd team)
Becca Moros	2004 (2nd team), 2005 (1st team), 2006 (1st team)
Carolyn Ford	2005 (1st team)	2005 ACC Defensive Player of the Year
Casey McCluskey	2001 (1st team), 2002 (1st team), 2003 (1st team), 2004 (1st team)	2001 ACC Freshman of the Year, 2004 ACC Offensive Player of the Year
Thora Helgadottir	2001 (1st team), 2002 (1st team), 2003 (1st team)	ACC 50th Anniversary Team
Kate Seibert	2003 (2nd team)
Liz Wagner	2002 (2nd team)
Carly Fuller	2000 (2nd team), 2001 (2nd team)
Kim Daws	2000 (2nd team)
Gwendolyn Oxenham	2000 (2nd team)
Sarah Pickens	2000 (1st team)
Sherrill Kester	1996 (1st team), 1998 (2nd team), 1999 (1st team)	ACC 50th Anniversary Team
Kasey Truman	1999 (2nd team)
Kristy Whelchel	1995 (2nd team), 1996 (1st team), 1997 (2nd team), 1998 (1st team)	ACC 50th Anniversary Team
Andi Melde	1997 (1st team)	1997 ACC Player of the Year, ACC 50th Anniversary Team
Samantha Baggett	1994 (1st team), 1996 (2nd team), 1997 (2nd team)
Cara Lyons	1994 (2nd team), 1995 (2nd team)
Kelly Walbert	1993 (1st team), 1994 (1st team), 1995 (1st team)	1995 ACC Player of the Year, ACC 50th Anniversary Team
Melissa Carr	1994 (2nd team)
Lauren Cyran	1994 (2nd team)
Mandy Lehr	1994 (2nd team)
Katherine Remy	1993 (1st team), 1994 (1st team)
Missy Durham	1993 (1st team)
Jennifer Lewis	1991 (1st team), 1992 (1st team)
Heidi Mauger	1992 (1st team)
Delilah Huelsing	1990 (1st team)
Sue Sanders	1990 (1st team)
Caitlin Connolly	1989 (1st team)
Mary Pat Rosenthal	1988 (1st team)

Isis Dallis also won ACC Freshman of the Year in 1997.

Coaching awards

Duke has received seven awards for coaching. ^[18]

Name	Awards
Robbie Church	ACC Coach of the Year (2011, 2017)
Bill Hempen	National Coach of the Year (1992), ACC Coach of the Year (1992, 1994, 1997)
Entire staff	2017 National Staff of the Year

Notable alumni

Main page: Category:Duke Blue Devils women's soccer players

Current Professionals

• Natasha Anasi – (2010–2013) – Currently with Brann and Iceland international
• Toni Payne – (2013–2016) – Currently with Sevilla and Nigeria international
• Quinn ^[a] – (2013–2017) – Currently with OL Reign and Canada international
• Imani Dorsey – (2014–2017) – Currently with NJ/NY Gotham FC
• Kayla McCoy – (2015–2018) – Currently with Villarreal and Jamaica international
• Ella Stevens – (2016–2019) – Currently with the Chicago Red Stars
• Tess Boade - (2017-2021) – Currently with North Carolina Courage
• Caitlin Cosme - (2017-2021) – Currently with Orlando Pride
• Lily Nabet - (2017-2021) – Currently with Angel City
• Michelle Cooper - (2021-2022) – Currently with Kansas City Current

Current Coaches

• Samantha Bohon – (Played 1994–1997) – Head coach at Florida since 2022
• Becca Moros - (Played 2003–2006) – Head coach at Arizona since 2021
• Katie Ely - (Coached 2011–2012) – Assistant coach at Maryland since 2022
• Steve Springthorpe - (Coached 2013) – Head coach at Tennessee Tech since 2014
• Erwin van Bennekom (Coached 2015–2018) – Head coach at Indiana since 2018

Notes

1. Known as Rebecca Quinn while at Duke

References

1. "Duke Athletics Quick Facts". GoDuke.com. September 5, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
2. "Duke Women's Soccer Coach Bill Hempen Resigns". goduke.com. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
3. "Carla Overbeck Bio". goduke.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
4. FIFA.com (March 22, 2007). "FIFA Women's World Cup – USA 1999". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
5. "Robbie Church Bio". goduke.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
6. "Billy Lesesne Bio". goduke.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
7. Ringo, Kyle (November 16, 2011). "Bill Hempen resigns as CU Buffs soccer coach". dailycamera.com. MediaNews Group. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
8. "Erwin van Bennekom Named Soccer Assistant Coach". goduke.com. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
9. "Women's soccer: Penn State outlasts Duke 1–0 for College Cup title". NCAA.com. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
10. "2024 Women's Soccer Roster". goduke.com. Duke University Athletics. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
11. "Koskinen Stadium" . Retrieved May 23, 2017.
12. "Kennedy Tower Debuts This Weekend" . Retrieved May 23, 2017.
13. "William David Murray Building". Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
14. 2018 Media Guide , pp. 31
15. 2018 Media Guide , pp. 57–61
16. 2018 Media Guide , pp. 32
17. "Duke women's soccer striker Michelle Cooper wins 2022 MAC Hermann Trophy". DukeChronicle.com. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
18. "Duke Women's Soccer Media Guide 2021-22" (PDF). GoDuke.com. Retrieved December 25, 2021.

Works cited

• "Media Guide". Duke Athletics. 2018.

External links

• Official website