Duhl, Gibbons & Wilson Named Women?s Soccer Captains

4/30/2015 11:31:00 AM | Women's Soccer

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C.- A trio of Blue Devils – Danielle Duhl, Christina Gibbons and Kara Wilson -- have been selected tri-captains for the 2015 women's soccer season, which was announced Thursday by Blue Devil head coach Robbie Church. The captains were named following a vote by team members.

“Congratulations goes out to Kara, Christina, and Danielle for being elected our captains for the 2015 season,” commented Church. “I think the players have done a really great job of electing three young ladies with very high integrity, who have worked hard in our program for the last two to three years. They will provide us a great deal of leadership both on and off the field. Like always, the captains will also be supported by our senior class as we count on them to provide a lot of leadership during the course of the season.”

Duhl, who is a native of Los Angeles, Calif., competed in all 18 matches a year ago, while starting two. She started the season opener against Ohio State and also the Wake Forest match, while playing in a season-high 76 minutes off the bench against second-ranked Florida State. The rising redshirt junior midfielder has seen action in 49 career contests for the Blue Devils.

Coming off earning All-ACC second team accolades as a sophomore, Gibbons received captain honors heading into her junior campaign. Gibbons, who hails from Raleigh, N.C., started 15-of-16 matches on the season in 2014 in both the midfield and defense slots. She scored three goals, added three assists and had a total of nine points on the season.

Wilson, a product of Potomac, Md., moved from the midfield slot to the defense in 2014 and had an excellent season for the Blue Devils. The 5-10 standout led Duke in minutes played logging 1,638 minutes on the year. Wilson added an assist UAB and has appeared in 48 career games in a Blue Devil uniform.

As a team, Duke will return nine starters from a year ago, including five of the Blue Devils' top six scorers. Returning for Duke includes rising sophomore Imani Dorsey, junior Lizzy Raben, junior Toni Payne, Gibbons, Wilson, junior Rebecca Quinn, sophomore Ashton Miller, sophomore Schuyler DeBree and sophomore Morgan Reid. The Blue Devils also welcome back 10 other letterwinners along with the anticipated return of 2012 National Freshman of the Year Cassie Pecht, after missing the past two seasons with a knee injury. Duke is also expecting redshirt sophomore Malinda Allen back in 2015, after missing the season with an injury.

The Blue Devils will welcome the No. 6 overall recruiting class in the nation in 2015 -- Chelsea Burns of Jacksonville, Fla., Kayla McCoy of Lincolnwood, Ill., Kat McDonald of Raleigh, N.C., Anna Munro of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Taylor Racioppi of Ocean Township, N.J., and Mary Love Taylor of Wilson, N.C.

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