No. 10 Duke Hosts Louisville in Kick For Cure Game

10/17/2018 5:35:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – Riding a three-game winning streak, the 10th-ranked Duke Blue Devils (11-2-2, 5-1-1 ACC) return home for the final two home games of the 2018 regular season, starting with a Thursday night matchup against the Louisville Cardinals (11-3-0, 5-2-0 ACC).

Kickoff from Koskinen Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Fox Sports South. Fans can also access the broadcast through FoxSportsGo.com and ACC Network Extra through WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.

Duke enters Thursday after a thrilling 3-2 win at Clemson on Saturday for its fifth conference victory of the season. The Blue Devils own 16 points in ACC play and are tied for second with No. 11 Boston College, who they face on Sunday at Koskinen.

Leading the way for Duke are seniors Kayla McCoy and Taylor Racioppi. McCoy tops the team with 23 points and nine goals on the year, both second in the ACC. She's been on fire in ACC play, leading the league in conference-only matches with 15 points and seven goals. The Lincolnwood, Ill., has scored in five-straight games, one shy of tying the school record. Racioppi has tallied six goals and 13 points on the season, both second on the squad. Her jaw-dropping score on Saturday was the game winner against the Tigers and garnered national attention, highlighted by landing at No. 8 on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays.

Duke will close out its regular season home slate on Sunday, Oct. 21 with a showdown against the No. 11 Boston College Eagles for Senior Day. The match will be nationally televised on ESPNU and streamed on ACC Network Extra.

No. 10 Duke Blue Devils (11-2-2, 5-1-1 ACC)
Roster | Coaches | Statistics | Schedule & Results | Game Notes

Louisville Cardinals (11-3-0, 5-2-0 ACC)
Roster | Coaches | Statistics | Schedule & Results | Game Notes

Game Day Info…

Thursday, October 18
No. 10 Duke vs. Louisville – 7:00 p.m. ET
RSN
ACC Network Extra
Live Stats
Durham, N.C.
Koskinen Stadium

Live Broadcast…
Thursday's contest between the Blue Devils and the Cardinals will be televised on Fox Sports South. Fans can also catch the action on Fox Sports Go (www.FoxSportsGo.com) and ACC Network Extra, which can be accessed by clicking the link below, going to WatchESPN.com or using the ESPN app.

No. 10 Duke vs. Louisville FoxSportsGo/ACC Network Extra Broadcast

Live Stats…
Duke will provide live statistics for Thursday's matchup. Live stats can be found by clicking the link below.

No. 10 Duke vs. Louisville Live Stats

Ticket Information…
Tickets are available for purchase for the 2018 Duke women's soccer season at Koskinen Stadium. Tickets are $5 with groups of 10+ are $4 each. Ages two and under receive free admission. Tickets are on sale at GoDuke.com/tickets, by calling 919-681-6767 or clicking the link below.

2018 Duke Women's Soccer Ticket Information

Gameday Promotions…
Thursday's matchup will be the Blue Devils' Kick for Cure game, as they are teaming up with the Duke Cancer Institute to raise breast cancer awareness. Duke will don pink jerseys for the contest and fans will be able to bid for them during a silent auction that will be held during the game, with all proceeds going towards the Duke Cancer Institute.

Fans will also receive a free Duke Soccer Scarf while supplies last at the marketing tables. Duke employees, parents of Duke students and cancer survivors, patients and caregivers will receive free entry to Thursday's match.

Blue Devil freshman Delaney Graham will showcase her singing talents prior to the match, as she will sing the National Anthem.

Weather…

Thursday, October 18 – High 59, Low 39; Partly Cloudy (0%)

Last Time Out…
Thanks to a jaw-dropping goal from Taylor Racioppi, the Duke Blue Devils picked up a crucial 3-2 road win at Clemson on Saturday. The Tigers took a 1-0 lead into the half, but things would draw even just moments into the second half behind rocket of a goal from Kat McDonald, her second of the season. Kayla McCoy scored for the fifth-straight game to give Duke a 2-1 advantage before Clemson would pull even at 2-2 in the 66th minute.

Then came in Racioppi, who tallied her sixth goal of the season in the 77th minute to push the Blue Devils to their third-straight win and first against Clemson since 2012.

Saturday, Oct. 13
No. 11 Duke def. Clemson, 3-2 (Recap | Stats)

A Blue Devil Win Would…

Be their second win against Louisville and first in Durham (0-0-2).
Give them a two-game winning streak against the Cardinals, the first winning streak in series history.
Make them 9-2-0 at home this season.
Move them to 27-2-0 in their last 29 games at Koskinen Stadium.
Give them a four-game winning streak and make them 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.
Be their 16th win in their last 18 ACC regular season games.
Give Robbie Church 318 career wins as a women's soccer coach. He currently sits tied for 19th amongst active head coaches and tied for 28th all-time.
Be the 393rd victory in program history, moving them seven away from reaching the 400 mark.

In the Rankings...

Duke
United Soccer Coaches: 10th
Soccer America: 11th
TopDrawerSoccer: 9th

Louisville
United Soccer Coaches: RV
Soccer America: NR
TopDrawerSoccer: RV

2018 Blue Devil Leaders...

Points: Kayla McCoy, 23
Goals: Kayla McCoy, 9
Assists: Ella Stevens, 8
Shots: Kayla McCoy, 42
Shots On Goal: Kayla McCoy, 23
Game-Winning Goals: Kayla McCoy, 3
Goals Against Average: Brooke Heinsohn, 0.72
Saves: Brooke Heinsohn, 43
Save Percentage: Brooke Heinsohn, .796

2018 Blue Devil Goal Tracker…

Mackenzie Pluck (Unassisted) vs. #23 Ohio State - Aug. 16 (47:02)
Taylor Racioppi (Ella Stevens) vs. #23 Ohio State - Aug. 16 (80:25)
Taylor Racioppi (Kayla McCoy) vs. Illinois - Aug. 19 (15:06)
Kayla McCoy (Taylor Mitchell) vs. Elon - Aug. 26 (33:21)
Mackenzie Pluck (Ella Stevens; Kayla McCoy) vs. Elon - Aug. 26 (69:24)
Marykate McGuire (Ella Stevens) vs. Elon - Aug. 26 (82:05)
Mackenzie Pluck (Ella Stevens) vs. Marquette - Aug. 30 (67:29)
Ella Stevens (Marykate McGuire) vs. Marquette - Aug. 30 (72:06)
Taylor Racioppi (Ella Stevens; Kayla McCoy) vs. Providence - Sept. 2 (23:17)
Marykate McGuire (Karlie Paschall) vs. Providence - Sept. 2 (36:08)
Tess Boade (Kayla McCoy & Delaney Graham) vs. Nebraska - Sept. 6 (58:34)
Karlie Paschall (Penalty Kick) vs. Nebraska - Sept. 6 (62:21)
Karlie Paschall (Penalty Kick) vs. Nebraska - Sept. 6 (82:20)
Kayla McCoy (Marykate McGuire) vs. Old Dominion - Sept. 9 (2:01)
Taylor Racioppi (Marykate McGuire) at Syracuse - Sept. 16 (33:58)
Marykate McGuire (Delaney Graham) at Syracuse - Sept. 16 (39:54)
Lily Nabet (Kayla McCoy & Karlie Paschall) at Syracuse - Sept. 16 (55:26)
Kayla McCoy (Karlie Paschall) at Syracuse - Sept. 16 (71:13)
Tess Boade (Mackenzie Pluck) at Miami – Sept. 20 (43:36)
Taylor Racioppi (Karlie Paschall) at Miami – Sept. 20 (58:23)
Kayla McCoy (Karlie Paschall & Marykate McGuire) vs. #4 Virginia – Sept. 23 (89:23)
Kayla McCoy (Ella Stevens) at #21 NC State – Sept. 27 (76:31)
Kayla McCoy (Taylor Racioppi) vs. Wake Forest – Oct. 4 (2:46)
Kayla McCoy (Kat McDonald) vs. Wake Forest – Oct. 4 (27:22)
Kat McDonald (Ella Stevens) vs. Wake Forest – Oct. 4 (89:11)
Kayla McCoy (Ella Stevens & Kat McDonald) vs. Virginia Tech – Oct. 7 (66:54)
Karlie Paschall (Unassisted) vs. Virginia Tech – Oct. 7 (85:50)
Kat McDonald (Unassisted) at Clemson – Oct. 13 (47:44)
Kayla McCoy (Tess Boade) at Clemson – Oct. 13 (54:37)
Taylor Racioppi (Lily Nabet) at Clemson – Oct. 13 (76:21)

Scouting the Cardinals...
Louisville enters Thursday's having won its last two matches, defeating Miami, 3-0, and Wake Forest, 2-0. The Cardinals are 5-2-0 in ACC play and are tied for fourth in the standings with 15 points. Brooklynn Rivers and Maisie Whitsett lead UL with eighth goals each, while Rivers tops the team with six assists and 22 total points. Gabby Kouzelos has been the Cardinals' mainstay in goal, starting 14 matches and allowing just 12 goals (0.86 GAA) and making 22 saves.

The Series with Louisville...

Overall: Duke leads, 1-0-4
In Durham: Tied, 0-0-2
First Meeting: Duke tied Louisville, 0-0 [2OT] (Nov. 10, 2006 in Knoxville, Tenn.)
Last Meeting: Duke def. Louisville, 3-2 [2OT] (Sept. 29, 2017 in Louisville, Ky.)
Current Streak: Duke, +1

Blue Devils Look for First Win Against Louisville at Home…
Thursday's matchup between Duke and Louisville will be the sixth meeting in history, with the Blue Devils holding a 1-0-4 advantage in the series. Last year's win by the Blue Devils was the first result that was not a tie and marked the first goals scored in series history, as the first four meetings ended in scoreless draws. A win on Thursday would be the first at home for Duke against the Cardinals, improving its record to 1-0-2.

Racioppi's Golazo Earns National Recognition…
With the game tied and 14 minutes left in regulation, senior Taylor Racioppi took a Lily Nabet pass and fired away a bending shot towards goal that would become the game-winning score. After the game, Racioppi's score, her sixth of the season, would take on a life of its own on social media. Racioppi's score garnered national recognition from SportsCenter, landing at No. 8 on the program's Top 10 Plays segment. Racioppi's score was also picked up Bleacher Report, NBC Sports Soccer and numerous other media entities.

Racioppi Tabbed ACC Offensive Player of the Week…
After delivering a jaw-dropping goal on Saturday to propel the No. 11 Duke Blue Devils to a 3-2 win at Clemson, senior Taylor Racioppi has been named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week.

Racioppi, who picked up an ACC weekly laurel for the first time in her career, joins redshirt sophomore Brooke Heinsohn as the second Blue Devil to earn an honor this season. This is the fourth-straight year that Duke has earned multiple weekly honors in a season from the ACC, marking the longest such streak in program history. Racioppi is the first Blue Devil since Christina Gibbons to reel in offensive POTW honors, as she was named Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 18, 2016 and is the first to earn it outright in program history.

2018 Senior Class Establishes Itself as the Best in DWS History…
The 2018 Duke women's soccer senior class continues to do what it's done best for four years: win. Saturday's victory moved its win total to 63, which makes them the winningest senior class in program history, with last year's class in second with 60 victories.

In their four years, the DWS seniors of Chelsea Burns, Kayla McCoy, Kat McDonald and Taylor Racioppi have made two trips to the NCAA College Cup, including a National Championship game appearance in 2015, and a trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2016. The group of four also captured the 2017 ACC Regular Season Championship and has picked up at least one win against every ACC program.

McCoy Named a Finalist for 2018 Senior CLASS Award…
Duke senior Kayla McCoy was named one of 10 finalists for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award on Wednesday, which is awarded to the student-athlete who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. Fan voting is now open through Nov. 18 to help select the winner, which will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Women's College Cup, Nov. 30 – Dec. 2. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner.

Blue Devils Heating Up as They Hit the Homestretch…
The Blue Devils are heating up with just three games left in the regular season, defeating Clemson on Saturday for their third-straight win to improve to 11-2-2 on the year and 8-1-1 in their last 10 contests. The third-straight conference victory give Duke 16 points in the ACC standings, tying Boston College for second. North Carolina leads the league with 21 points.

Home Sweet Home…
Koskinen Stadium has long been known as one of the toughest places to play in collegiate soccer and collegiate lacrosse. That has remained true lately for the Duke women's soccer program, as the Blue Devils hold a 26-2-0 record in their last 27 home matches. That includes a perfect 15-0-0 home record last season, a school record, along with an 8-2-0 showing this season so far.

She Just Keeps Scoring and Scoring and Scoring…
When Kayla McCoy slipped a shot through the legs of Clemson's keeper on Saturday, she kept her scoring streak rolling along, scoring for the fifth-straight game. That stretch mirrors the impressive streak that her former teammate Imani Dorsey put together during Duke's historic 2017 season. McCoy's streak is one short of tying Dorsey and Casey McCluskey (2004) for the most consecutive games with a goal in program history. McCluskey set the record from Sept. 11 – Oct. 1, 2004 before Dorsey tied the mark with a streak from Aug. 20 – Sept. 8, 2017.

McCoy Keeps the Good Times Rolling…
There was no doubt that senior Kayla McCoy would be the Blue Devils' offensive catalyst in 2018 and she hasn't disappointed, especially as Duke hits the midway point of conference play. McCoy leads the team with 23 points (2nd ACC) and nine goals (2nd ACC) while her five assists are tied for second on the squad. The Lincolnwood, Ill., native has tallied one four-point and two three-point contests this season and has at least one in all but four matches in 2018, tallying a point in 10 of the last 12 matches.

McCoy's play has ramped up in conference action, as she has tallied seven goals and an assist in seven ACC contests. Her seven scores and 15 points both lead the league. She is also tops in the conference with 1.00 goals per game and 2.14 points per game while standing tied for third with 23 shots and 3.29 shots per game.

McCoy Continues Her Record Book Climb…
Senior Kayla McCoy has cracked a number of top 10 charts so far this season, including entering the top five in a number of records. With her goal on Saturday, she currently has 35 for her career, tying her with Sherrill Kester (1996-99) for fourth all-time. Kelly Walbert (1992-95) owns the program record with 47-career scores.

McCoy's three game-winning goals this season has her career total now up to 13, putting her along at fourth on the DWS all-time list. She's one shy of Elisabeth Redmond (2006-09) for third place and seven behind the record holder Kelly Walbert (1992-95), who has 20.

The Duke senior forward also stands tied for fifth with five career multi-goal performances and sixth with 84 career points.

Stevens Among the DWS Assists Elite...
With her team-high eight dimes so far, Ella Stevens has cracked the top five on Duke's all-time assists list. She now has 25 for her career, which ties her for fourth in DWS history with Kelly Walbert (1992-95). She is four from tying Mollie Pathman (2010-13) for third. Andi Melde (1994-97) holds the all-time record at Duke with 42.

DWS Stays Dominant in ACC Regular Season Action…
Duke's win on Saturday also extended its dominance in regular season conference play. The Blue Devils have either won or tied in 16 of their last 17 ACC regular season games. Duke went a perfect 10-0-0 last season en route to claiming the third ACC Regular Season Championship in program history and are 5-1-1 through five matches this year.

Blue Devils One of the Nation's Top Assists Teams…
With 29 assists so far this year, the Blue Devils have become one of the nation's best when it comes to dropping dimes. Their 29 rank fourth in the ACC and 19th in the country. Leading the way is Ella Stevens, who has eight assists this season. Those eight are tied for second in the conference and eighth in the NCAA.

Next Up…
Once Saturday's matchup is in the books, the Blue Devils will return to Koskinen for the final two home contests of the 2018 regular season. Duke hosts Louisville on Thursday, Oct. 18 (7 p.m.), followed by a Sunday, Oct. 21 showdown with No. 8 Boston College for Senior Day. Thursday's match will be broadcast on Fox Sports South, while Sunday's game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

Social Media…
Fans can keep up with all things Duke women's soccer by following the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for “DukeWSoc”. Behind-the-scenes content of women's soccer and all Duke athletic programs can be found on Snapchat by following “dukeathletics”.

#GoDuke