Upcoming Event: Women's Lacrosse at Clemson on April 11, 2026 at 12 PM
/
12 PM
Women's Lacrosse
at Clemson
Review a Chat With Shannon Chaney and Kate Soulier
4/11/2000 1:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Hosted By Total Sports & GoDuke.com
| Moncia Thomas asks What do you think your chances are of making a return trip to the final four? |
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| Kate - I think our chances are great. We're playing really well as a team. At the same time we have people who are stepping up and playing awesome and the fact that we've been there before makes it a realistic goal that's attainable. Shannon - Our chances are awesome, having been there before. Even my sophomore year, we made the first round. Having a taste of it... we can't say we're the underdog. I think people expect us to be there. The coaching staff is so good about being honest with us and telling us what we need to do as a team. Just having the desire and the passion to get there is what's going to carry us through. We know we have the skill. It's just a matter of how much we want it. The way our season has been going, it doesn't matter who we've lost too. It's a matter of playing well and doing what we need to do to get the job done. |
| Nicole Hass asks Who has been the biggest influence in developing your lacrosse game? |
| Kate - I would say growing up I had two coaches. One I was thinking of my freshmen year of high school and she kept me in it. And then my high school coach Krug, he was awesome. He ran us like they do in college. College was a shock but not too much. Of course Kerstin and our assistants have retaught me the sport. Shannon - Sue Heether... I went to her camp, the first camp I went to after I started playing goalie. She taught me every thing I needed to learn as an 8th grader, like how to hold my stick. Overall in lacrosse, she's my biggest influence. She's still playing. Kerstin, Michelle and Alison... everyone I've had at Duke have pumped my desire to learn more. Every one of our coaches has retaught us the game. New skills, keeping fit and staying emotionally stable in a game and be focused, which is especially important in a game. |
| Don Watson asks When did both of you start playing lacrosse? Did you play any other sports growing up? |
| Kate - I started playing organized in 7th grade, but as I said my brothers played. I used to play with them. Growing up I played a lot of tennis, field hockey and basketball and a little soccer. I didn't think they're be a future in it and here I am. Shannon - I actually started playing when I was 10. I had just moved from Oklahoma to Maryland and I'd never seen it before. Soccer was my sport until I took a look at at lacrosse stick. I played attack before goalie and I basically was the slowest person ever. When our goalie got mono, they threw me in there. Soccer and lacrosse... I attempted basketball but was horrible at it. I ran a lot of track too. |
| Ashley Wilson asks Shannon, What do you want to do after graduation? |
| Shannon - Since middle school I've wanted to be a writer. I want to be a writer, it's what I've always wanted to do. I'm kinda in the middle of writing a book. I haven't gotten to work on it very much, but I'm looking into some magazine journalism options. I'm writing a feature for collegelacrosseusa.com, so anything in journalism, I'm interested in. |
| Mark Smith asks Both Kate and Shannon, What was it like advancing to Duke's first ever NCAA Final Four last season? What was your best memory? |
| Shannon - I think for me, my freshmen year was the second year we were varsity. From losing to Maryland by 800 goals or something my freshmen year, my best memory was when we played James Madison during the second round and that was the first non-tournament game he'd been to. I saw him in the stands and he was crying. He was so proud and crying. The Final Four game, I don't have one memorable thing. I was writing a paper on that trip, so that's a thing I remember. It was the second round game... to actually advance, it was the highlight having my dad there. Kate - I would say for me just getting to the Final Four. When I got recruited, Kerstin said maybe by my final year we'd go. Getting on the bus as a sophomore was incredible. We had a game when we got there and I saw on the field it said "Final Four" on the field. All I could think of was "we've arrived". When I signed with Duke, everyone laughed at me and here I was... the next night I was playing in the Final Four. |
| Barbara Soulier asks Are there any elements of the men's game that you would like to see incorporated into the women's? |
| Kate - I would love the body check, definitely against certain teams. I think with the finesse of our sport, without it being as brutal, allows to keep the smoothness of our sport. Shannon - I really like that the defenders can run through the crease. From a goalie perspective, when they chase a ball, they're allowed to run back into the crease. I like to watch men's lacrosse, but with women, I think it would get so ugly. I live in Oklahoma and Native American history is so interesting to me. I learned the in's and out's of stick games. Men's lacrosse is one step away from being football, so I think keeping it traditional is the way to go. |
| Kasey Truman asks Kate, Congratulations on such a great season! Just wondering, what do you know about taking Motrin on an empty stomach? |
| I know from now on if you're going to take motrin, you should definitely eat before you take it! |
| the dukie asks kate-given the differences in rules, do you prefer to watch men's or women's lax? (also, i think you are the most beautiful girl in the world. are you single?) |
| I definitely like to watch girls more because you can definitely learn something from watching girls play. I did grow up watching men because my brothers play. Am I single? no and I'll leave it at that. |
| JoAnn Kirk asks I think Kate Soulier is the sweetest, kindest young lady I know---and I knew her when (when she was called Katie). Happy 21st, Kate. Love, JoAn |
| You've been a great friend to my mom and I definitely appreciate that. |
| Laura Kirk asks Hi, this question is for Kate: Who was your favorite neighbor growing up??? I hope you had a good birthday - I was thinking of you and Elisa :) |
| This family is a great family... it'd have to be the Kirks. I'm still feeling their constant support. They've been great neighbors. |
| david hawley asks this is to kate; hey kate. i was at the standards night at goldsboro skate center. i just wanted to know what was your best thing you did in your life? |
| The best thing I've done so far is two things...choosing the family that I'm a part of (if you can choose) and loving them and being loved and definitely coming to Duke and choosing to play for Kerstin and this group of girls has by far been the most poignant thing in my life. |
| MIKE SOULIER asks KATE, WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLE YOU PLAY AS CAPTAIN OF THE DUKE WOMEN'S LACROSSE TEAM TO HELP THEM WIN A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP? |
| Kate - I think the most important role is a strong desire, heart and a smile. I think that's the biggest role I can play. I look around, smile and cheer people on. Shannon - Kate is one of those people that is so approachable. Captains are picked for a reason, it's not a fluke. She's a leader off the field and sets a good example for the freshmen and younger people. If I'm not doing something on the field, Kate will probably be the first one up in your face to say "get yourself together and do what you need to do because right now, you're not helping the team". She's brutally honest. She's so excited and psyched to be in a game. She'll say "Shannon you're doing really well". That just comes from being a leader, it's not taught. |
| Bob Peterson asks How tough was the loss to Virginia? What is the team doing to prepare for the upcoming ACC Tournament? |
| Kate - Of course everyone knows that we've never beaten Virginia before so I was asked every day before what it's like to play Virginia - if it can happen. Any team can beat any given team on any day. With Virginia it was a tough loss because we have never beaten them. It was hard to lose that momentum. I guess the energy flow between the first and second half was different. Kerstin said this is your team, and the coaches can't come on the field and tell you how to play. Going into the ACC Tournament, every team has the chance to beat every other team. It's exciting to know that we can match up with Virginia or Maryland again. Shannon - I think sometimes a loss is a good thing. Having a loss can teach you the lows and highs and make you want to reach the highs again. Kate - Kerstin's big thing has been to focus on us and not things we can't control. Just try to keep in our minds that we need to work hard on Duke. Shannon - We have to concentrate on what we have to do to get the job done. It doesn't matter what say Virginia does. Because we had a good weekend with Notre Dame and Yale, we know that we're a good team and we have the ability to beat any team in the ACC Tournament. Kerstin has said to play like we practice with a lot of heart and desire and if we take care of each other on the field, it will come thru in a big game. |
| Beth Watts asks hey Kate how is it to captain one of the top ten schools in America? |
| Kate - It's interesting being a junior. It's an interesting job. Trying to be a peer and a leader at the same time. With the team we have, we have so many leaders, it makes it easy to lead. We all are on the same page, we have the same goals, which makes it a fun job. Shannon - She does it well! |
| Mrs. Kaiser asks Hi Girls !! I am one of your BIGGEST fans !! So, what do you think, can we beat Maryland ???? How do we match up ? Good luck with the remainder of the season!!! |
| Kate - Of any team out there, we're the team that has the ability to do it. We match up size-wise with them. Beating them two years ago, we have that element of fear put in them.
Shannon - I agree with Kate. size-wise and speed-wise, we match up with them. They've been on top for so many years now that they take teams for granted. We have the momentum, the skill and the desire and all the intangibles that go into beating a team like Maryland. I think we have that advantage.
Thanks everyone for submitting questions today! Go Duke! |
Players Mentioned
M
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