Blue Devils Open ACC Action Thursday Against WFU

9/22/2010 10:13:00 AM | Women's Soccer

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – The 14th-ranked Duke women's soccer team (6-1-2) opens Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) league play hosting Wake Forest on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 7:00 p.m. The Blue Devils look to remain undefeated during their seven game homestand after posting four wins and two ties thus far at Koskinen Stadium.

Thursday's contest will be alumni night as any former Duke soccer players who will be able to attend the match will be honored at halftime.

For tickets to all of Duke's home women's soccer contests, contact the Duke Athletic Ticket Office at (919) 681-BLUE (2583) or call (877) 375-3853.

The Series
Thursday's match against Wake Forest will mark the 21st meeting between the Blue Devils and the Demon Deacons. Duke holds a 12-5-3 edge all time and the Demon Deacons have won only two of the last 10 meetings. The Blue Devils are 8-0-1 in the series history when games are played in Durham, N.C.

In the Rankings
Duke moved up to as high as 13th in the national rankings this week. The Blue Devils are 13th in the SoccerTimes.com poll and 14th in the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com and Soccer America polls. Wake Forest is ranked 25th in the SoccerTimes.com poll.

Duke's Young Goal Scoring Power
The Blue Devils' last five goals have been scored by either freshmen or sophomores. On the season, Duke has scored a total of 22 goals with 15 of those tallies coming by freshmen. Freshman Laura Weinberg leads the team with four goals while senior Molly Lester and freshmen Mollie Pathman and Kaitlyn Kerr aren't far behind with three each. Pathman has scored two game-winning goals, which is a team high.

ACC Openers
Duke owns a record of 8-11-3 all-time in ACC openers.

Blue Devils Continue Stellar Defensive Play
Only allowing one goal in the last six games, Duke's defense once again highlighted the Blue Devils' performance over the weekend as they recorded another shutout against Middle Tennessee State and allowed only one goal against fifth-ranked Florida.

Duke has allowed only one goal this season in the first half, while scoring 11 goals in each of the first and second halves.

Sophomore goalkeeper Tara Campbell added to her shutout tally now with a total of four on the year. Duke has scored only three goals in the last four matches but tight defense has earned two wins and two ties. While the scoring still isn't there, Duke continues to outshoot its opponents. Duke is now outscoring their opponents 22-4 on the year and impressively outshooting the opposition 226-74.

In the National Stat Rankings
Duke's defense is among the best in the nation, ranked 12th in shutout percentage (0.667), 10th in goals-against average (0.424) and 19th in save percentage (0.882).

Duke's Tara Campbell is ranked in the top 30 in both goals-against average (0.475) and save percentage (0.879), which are 18th and 29th, respectively.

A Look at Wake Forest
Wake Forest is 6-3 and coming off a 1-0 loss against 20th-ranked South Carolina. The Demon Deacons return only five starters from their 2009 squad that went into the NCAA Quarterfinals. Wake Forest's offense has performed well this year with 2.22 goals scored per game.

The Demon Deacons are outscoring their opponents 20-10 through nine games, but the match against Duke will be their first against an ACC opponent and only second against a ranked opponent. Freshman Katie Stengel has scored a team high seven goals, four of which have been game-winners on 17 shots on goal.

Playing at Home
Duke has notched a 4-0-2 record at home this season. Overall at home since 2002, Duke has notched a 54-13-8 record.

Rape Misses MTSU Contest
Redshirt sophomore Ashley Rape missed Sunday's contest against Middle Tennessee due to flu-like symptoms. She tried to go through warm-ups and didn't make it. She was replaced by freshman Natasha Anasi. Rape has started all eight matches she has played in this season as center back.

Stingy Defense
Duke's defense has been solid through the first nine games as the Blue Devils have registered six shutouts during that start. Sophomore goalkeeper Tara Campbell has totaled a 0.47 goals-against average in nine starts, including four solo shutout performances.

First Career Goals
After missing two games this season with a broken finger, sophomore Maddy Haller scored her first career goal off a header from Mollie Pathman's corner kick for the only goal in a 1-0 win over Yale. Other first time goal scorers in 2010 are Molly Lester, Laura Weinberg, Kaitlyn Kerr, Mollie Pathman, Callie Simpkins, Natasha Anasi, Kim DeCesare and Avery Rape.

Who's Got Next?
Duke travels to College Park on Sunday, Sept. 26 for an afternoon match with sixth-ranked Maryland.

Youthful Lineup
At times this season, the Blue Devils have started nine freshmen and sophomores along with two seniors. Duke boasts a total of 17 freshmen and sophomores on the roster. In the 2010 freshman class, five players were ranked in the top 85 of the TopDrawerSoccer.com Girls 2010 listing. Duke was one of only five teams in the nation to land five of the top 100 prospects in the nation.

A Look at Duke
In 2010, Duke returns seven of 11 starters -- Libby Jandl, Gretchen Miller, Tara Campbell, Erin Koballa, Maddy Haller, Ashley Rape and Nicole Lipp -- after producing a 8-9-4 overall record and advancing to the NCAA Tournament a year ago. The Blue Devils welcome one of the top recruiting classes in the nation with the addition of Mollie Pathman, Laura Weinberg, Meghan Thomas, Gilda Doria, Alex Straton, Katie Walter, Kaitlyn Kerr, Natasha Anasi and Avery Rape.

Campbell Nets Accolades
Blue Devil goalkeeper Tara Campbell was selected to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week on Sept. 13, after guiding Duke to two shutouts against FIU and Yale. Campbell was the only goalkeeper selected to the squad, after notching her second and third shutouts of the season against the Panthers and Bulldogs.

Lester Nets an Honor
Coming off registering her first career goal in the first start of her Duke career in the season opener at Georgia, Blue Devil senior Molly Lester was named a Primetime Performer, which is presented by CollegeSoccer360.com.

Lester, who is a native of Atlanta, Ga., was playing in her home state against many former teammates from club and ODP play. In the 13th minute of action in the season opener, senior Rebecca Allen sent a cross over from the left wing to an awaiting Lester on the right edge of the box. Lester settled and fired home the 15-yard shot into the bottom left corner for her first career goal.

Prior to the contest against the Bulldogs, Lester had missed her freshman and junior campaigns with knee injuries. She had taken only one career shot and was seeing action in her first regular season collegiate match since Nov. 29, 2008 at UCLA in the NCAA Elite Eight.

Honors for Campbell
Sophomore goalkeeper Tara Campbell was listed as one of the top 20 women's soccer players to watch in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) this season by TopDrawerSoccer.com. Campbell, a product of Cincinnati, Ohio, is coming off a freshman campaign where she started 19 contests, while totaling a 1.08 goals-against average, six shutouts and a school-record 93 saves. She has tallied four shutouts thus far in the 2010 season.

Sister Duo
Duke features the only sister duo in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2010. Ashley and Avery Rape will begin the first of three years of playing together this season. The duo are from Dallas, Texas and attended Greenhill School. Ashley is a defender, while Avery is a forward/midfielder.

Blue Devils Return From Injury
Four Blue Devils who missed the 2009 campaign with injuries played their first regular season collegiate contest in almost two years in the season opener at Georgia. Ashley Rape, Kim DeCesare, Molly Lester and Callie Simpkins all missed last season due to knee injuries. Both Rape and Lester have started the first three contests.

The Injury Bug
Junior Molly Mack will miss the 2010 season after suffering a torn ACL in preseason practice. Mack missed her freshman year with a torn ACL as well. She underwent surgery on Aug. 19. Senior Kendall Bradley will miss the 2010 campaign due to concussions. Freshman Katie Walter has not practiced since the opening day of practice due to concussions as well. Junior Cody Newman will also miss the 2010 season. Sophomore Maddy Haller missed both the Francis Marion and High Point contests this season due to a broken finger.

The Head Coach
Head Coach Robbie Church enters his 10th season on the Duke sideline in 2010. He has notched a 289-184-38 overall record in his 25 years as a men's and women's head coach. At Duke, Church has amassed a 106-70-24 record and led the Blue Devils to seven straight NCAA Tournaments.

Time Change for the N.C. State Contest
The Duke/N.C. State contest on Sunday, Oct. 24 will now be played at 6:00 p.m., at Koskinen Stadium.

Get Your Tickets Now
Tickets for Duke women's soccer are on sale. For tickets to all of Duke's home women's soccer contests at Koskinen Stadium, contact the Duke Athletic Ticket Office at (919) 681-BLUE (2583) or call (877) 375-3853.

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