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Duke Ranked No. 5 in Final United Soccer Coaches Poll
12/8/2021 12:57:00 PM | Women's Soccer
DURHAM – United Soccer Coaches released its end-of-season national rankings for the 2021 campaign on Tuesday, with Duke checking in at No. 5 in the final women's poll.
Duke earned a spot in the top 10 of the United Soccer Coaches final rankings for the sixth time in the last seven seasons (since 2015), the most top-10 finishes by any program nationally in that span. National champion Florida State is ranked No. 1 coming off its College Cup victory on Monday night, while runner-up BYU is listed at No. 2, Rutgers at No. 3 and Santa Clara at No. 4.
The Blue Devils concluded the 2021 season with a 16-4-1 record, tying for the fifth-most wins in program history. After a regular season that saw the team post a 7-2-1 mark in ACC play and defeat six ranked opponents, Duke received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Championship. The Blue Devils won each of the first three rounds at Koskinen Stadium before falling at home to Santa Clara, 2-1, in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Nov. 26.
Head coach Robbie Church wrapped up his 21st season in Durham and 36th year as a head coach. Church eclipsed a pair of milestone victories during the 2021 campaign, including his 150th win at Koskinen Stadium on Sept. 9 and 100th ACC win on Oct. 10. His record at Duke stands at 272-135-60, while his overall mark is 455-249-74.
Duke's season featured one of the most competitive schedules in the country from start to end, kicked off by a win on Aug. 19 over an Arkansas team that is ranked No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches final poll. The Blue Devils also defeated then-No. 19 Washington and No. 10 Stanford in the midst of finishing their non-conference schedule unbeaten and untied for the first time in program history. The ACC slate began with Duke beating then-No. 2 North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Sept. 17, marking its first victory over the Tar Heels since 2015.
After going 1-2-1 over a four-game stretch from Sept. 23-Oct. 7, Duke responded with five straight shutout wins, including 1-0 home results against then-No. 15 Notre Dame and top-ranked Florida State. In the final NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), which is designed to rank teams based on their strength of schedule, Duke was listed at No. 2 nationally.
With their three wins in the NCAA Championship, the Blue Devils advanced to the quarterfinal round for the eighth time since 2011.
The team was led by a blend of veteran experience and talented youth. Michelle Cooper's first season in Durham yielded one of the most decorated campaigns in program history, as the Clarkston, Mich., native was named the ACC Freshman of the Year, a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and a first-team All-American by United Soccer Coaches. Cooper paced the Blue Devils with 12 goals – a Duke freshman record – and 29 points. Fellow first-team All-ACC honoree Tess Boade set career highs in goals (8), assists (5) and points (21) in her graduate season and was twice tapped the ACC Offensive Player of the Week.
Junior Ruthie Jones earned first-team All-ACC and United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region status in goal, as her .833 save percentage and 0.54 goals against average during the regular season both led the conference. Jones finished the season with the 11th-best goals against average in the nation (0.59), which was highlighted by a streak of 458 minutes and six seconds of consecutive play without allowing a goal from Oct. 10-31.
As a team, Duke's 12 goals allowed were the eighth-fewest nationally. Graduate student Caitlin Cosme anchored the back line alongside sophomores Katie Groff and Emily Royson, with each player logging over 1,500 minutes on the season.
For more information on Duke women's soccer, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWSOC."
#GoDuke
Duke earned a spot in the top 10 of the United Soccer Coaches final rankings for the sixth time in the last seven seasons (since 2015), the most top-10 finishes by any program nationally in that span. National champion Florida State is ranked No. 1 coming off its College Cup victory on Monday night, while runner-up BYU is listed at No. 2, Rutgers at No. 3 and Santa Clara at No. 4.
The Blue Devils concluded the 2021 season with a 16-4-1 record, tying for the fifth-most wins in program history. After a regular season that saw the team post a 7-2-1 mark in ACC play and defeat six ranked opponents, Duke received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Championship. The Blue Devils won each of the first three rounds at Koskinen Stadium before falling at home to Santa Clara, 2-1, in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Nov. 26.
Head coach Robbie Church wrapped up his 21st season in Durham and 36th year as a head coach. Church eclipsed a pair of milestone victories during the 2021 campaign, including his 150th win at Koskinen Stadium on Sept. 9 and 100th ACC win on Oct. 10. His record at Duke stands at 272-135-60, while his overall mark is 455-249-74.
Duke's season featured one of the most competitive schedules in the country from start to end, kicked off by a win on Aug. 19 over an Arkansas team that is ranked No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches final poll. The Blue Devils also defeated then-No. 19 Washington and No. 10 Stanford in the midst of finishing their non-conference schedule unbeaten and untied for the first time in program history. The ACC slate began with Duke beating then-No. 2 North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Sept. 17, marking its first victory over the Tar Heels since 2015.
After going 1-2-1 over a four-game stretch from Sept. 23-Oct. 7, Duke responded with five straight shutout wins, including 1-0 home results against then-No. 15 Notre Dame and top-ranked Florida State. In the final NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), which is designed to rank teams based on their strength of schedule, Duke was listed at No. 2 nationally.
With their three wins in the NCAA Championship, the Blue Devils advanced to the quarterfinal round for the eighth time since 2011.
The team was led by a blend of veteran experience and talented youth. Michelle Cooper's first season in Durham yielded one of the most decorated campaigns in program history, as the Clarkston, Mich., native was named the ACC Freshman of the Year, a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and a first-team All-American by United Soccer Coaches. Cooper paced the Blue Devils with 12 goals – a Duke freshman record – and 29 points. Fellow first-team All-ACC honoree Tess Boade set career highs in goals (8), assists (5) and points (21) in her graduate season and was twice tapped the ACC Offensive Player of the Week.
Junior Ruthie Jones earned first-team All-ACC and United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region status in goal, as her .833 save percentage and 0.54 goals against average during the regular season both led the conference. Jones finished the season with the 11th-best goals against average in the nation (0.59), which was highlighted by a streak of 458 minutes and six seconds of consecutive play without allowing a goal from Oct. 10-31.
As a team, Duke's 12 goals allowed were the eighth-fewest nationally. Graduate student Caitlin Cosme anchored the back line alongside sophomores Katie Groff and Emily Royson, with each player logging over 1,500 minutes on the season.
For more information on Duke women's soccer, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWSOC."
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
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