Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus #1 Stanford on December 5, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 1
/
Final
Women's Soccer
0
vs #1 Stanford
1
.png&width=24&height=24&type=webp)
2011 Graduate Molly Germanese Organizes Virtual Alumni Networking Event
3/9/2021 9:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
For the past four years, the Duke women's soccer program has dedicated a weekend to hold an alumni networking event, in which former players have a chance to return to campus, attend a match and build connections with the current student-athletes through offering career guidance.
These annual events quickly proved to be beneficial for Blue Devils looking to either further establish their post-graduation goals, or to gather information on different fields they are interested in. The group typically would congregate in the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Center, where Duke graduates of various years could share their perspectives and experiences on working in business, medicine and even professional soccer, among other industries.
As the past year has shown, however, this is no typical time. With Duke Athletics beginning the fall season with fans not permitted at home games, and COVID-19 restrictions on campus limiting the capacity for gatherings, it was apparent that the event would require an alternate approach. Perhaps it would have been understandable if the meeting were pushed to the following year, when everyone involved could hope for circumstances that were enjoyed before the pandemic. Making it not only as accessible, but also as beneficial, as past years necessitated extra amounts of organization, planning and communication. In short, it would be challenge. A challenge, though, that Molly Germanese took head on.
Germanese serves on the Duke women's soccer alumni advisory board and has helped in the coordination of the alumni networking event since its first year in 2017 – the program's 30th anniversary weekend. A 2011 Duke graduate, she felt that while a number of days that included attending practice, enjoying a game and having dinner with the current team would offer lots of incentive for alumni to return to Durham, there was also a unique opportunity in which the student-athletes could use the shared connections with former players to help better understand what life after graduation looks like.
"We had the idea that something around career might be helpful, because you have this group of people who have been literally in the exact same place and all seemingly have interesting and worthwhile careers," Germanese said. "Those of us who were on the advisory board or were active in planning, we wished that we had the same kind of access as we were thinking about our first jobs or internships or what to major in – just having somebody to bounce off ideas who had been in your exact same position."
In the following years, the event continually built a bridge between past and present members of the program that went beyond the sport. Student-athletes could use the opportunity however they needed – whether to confirm a notion about one industry, or to explore the possibility of pursuing an outside interest. With representatives of so many fields willing to share their perspectives, opinions and advice, Germanese recognized that players began to build on the relationships well after the ceremonial weekends.
"I think it softened the awkwardness and reaffirmed that they should definitely reach out," she said. "There's this whole network of people that want to help, and then there have been of anecdotal one-offs where maybe a couple of people made a really good connection with an alumni and that person was able to meet with them later, give them really sound advice, help them find a job."
As Germanese acknowledged, though, the process of making those connections would be much more difficult this year. However, her along with the advisory board "never thought twice" about still holding the event, albeit in a virtual setting.
"Life kept going on," she said. "I think we've all had a year's worth of events that were supposed to be in person that have been moved virtually, so there was a lot of precedent for us being able to actually do it."
After reaching out to fellow alumni, the board landed on Saturday, Feb. 27, as the date for the Zoom installment of the Duke women's soccer networking event. Germanese worked diligently to set up breakout rooms that featured different fields of interest, including finance, healthcare and education. Another room was geared towards Blue Devils looking to pursue the game at the next level, and had former NWSL player Kim DeCesare and current Sky Blue FC forward Imani Dorsey ready to discuss the differences between collegiate and pro soccer as well as the opportunities of playing abroad.
In total, 18 Duke alumni attended the virtual event. In many ways, it served as an advantage compared to past years, as there were no geographic limitations and current players had the chance to join in on multiple panels during the afternoon. The dynamic of creating strong connections via Zoom, though, proved to be perhaps more unnatural than what an in-person experience would provide.
"I think just sometimes it's awkward," Germanese said. "It's hard to read the room. We did it so in the panels, we introduced ourselves. I made short bio slides – 'This is when I graduated, this is what I majored in, this is what I do today.' I really wanted to make sure that if there were questions, it was a forum for questions. Depending on the group that you had, you could have six freshmen and one senior. They didn't really know what to ask, so there were moments where we had to fill the silence, but that usually would spark conversation."
The event closed with the numerous panels coming together where Germanese and head coach Robbie Church could address everyone on the call. For Church, an afternoon like Saturday's is another chance to check in on his former players, and to celebrate the success they've had since moving on from the Duke program.
"It's always very good to see them," he said. "It makes you smile, makes you laugh. It brings back a lot of memories. I spent a lot of time with a lot of those young ladies, and now they've all grown up. Some of them have kids, are married and have terrific careers. I'm very proud of all of them and I appreciate all their time and effort. They have a busy life themselves, and for them to take time off on a Saturday afternoon for us means a lot."
The networking event, as Germanese pointed out, brings with it an element that is specific to Duke itself. Former Blue Devil players have gone on to work in a multitude of professions across the globe, and while the primary focus for the current student-athletes remains developing their abilities on the pitch, there are numerous examples of what else is possible outside the white lines.
"It is very unique," she said. "You have the caliber of program where especially recently, a lot of players go play pro – not only in the U.S., but also abroad. But also, you're a student-athlete. The emphasis on 'student' first is still a very important principle of Duke soccer. The team's GPA was very high this year, so clearly, academics are important. I thought it was interesting there were a lot of folks who, when they ranked their preferences, it was pro soccer then medicine, or pro soccer then finance. There was a sense of, 'I want to go pursue my passion, which is soccer, and I'm in the only time in my life when I'll be able to do this, but I also recognize that I'll be able to get a degree from an elite university and I want to have a long-term career – let me also understand what life beyond that might look like.' Hopefully, this gave some flexibility."
In future years, Germanese said that the advisory board will aim to hold the event in Durham again. An in-person opportunity to meet alumni who shared the experiences of current players will always serve the greatest benefit. But in the era of socially distancing and using virtual outlets as our primary means of gathering, Germanese did not skip a year to help strengthen the Duke women's soccer family.
"She did a phenomenal job," Church said. "We really appreciate all the work that she put into it and everything that she did. It means a great deal. Our alumni, after leaving Duke, become very successful and to be able to give back to the current players and talk to them about their journey is really important for our program."
#GoDuke
These annual events quickly proved to be beneficial for Blue Devils looking to either further establish their post-graduation goals, or to gather information on different fields they are interested in. The group typically would congregate in the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Center, where Duke graduates of various years could share their perspectives and experiences on working in business, medicine and even professional soccer, among other industries.
As the past year has shown, however, this is no typical time. With Duke Athletics beginning the fall season with fans not permitted at home games, and COVID-19 restrictions on campus limiting the capacity for gatherings, it was apparent that the event would require an alternate approach. Perhaps it would have been understandable if the meeting were pushed to the following year, when everyone involved could hope for circumstances that were enjoyed before the pandemic. Making it not only as accessible, but also as beneficial, as past years necessitated extra amounts of organization, planning and communication. In short, it would be challenge. A challenge, though, that Molly Germanese took head on.
Germanese serves on the Duke women's soccer alumni advisory board and has helped in the coordination of the alumni networking event since its first year in 2017 – the program's 30th anniversary weekend. A 2011 Duke graduate, she felt that while a number of days that included attending practice, enjoying a game and having dinner with the current team would offer lots of incentive for alumni to return to Durham, there was also a unique opportunity in which the student-athletes could use the shared connections with former players to help better understand what life after graduation looks like.
"We had the idea that something around career might be helpful, because you have this group of people who have been literally in the exact same place and all seemingly have interesting and worthwhile careers," Germanese said. "Those of us who were on the advisory board or were active in planning, we wished that we had the same kind of access as we were thinking about our first jobs or internships or what to major in – just having somebody to bounce off ideas who had been in your exact same position."
In the following years, the event continually built a bridge between past and present members of the program that went beyond the sport. Student-athletes could use the opportunity however they needed – whether to confirm a notion about one industry, or to explore the possibility of pursuing an outside interest. With representatives of so many fields willing to share their perspectives, opinions and advice, Germanese recognized that players began to build on the relationships well after the ceremonial weekends.
"I think it softened the awkwardness and reaffirmed that they should definitely reach out," she said. "There's this whole network of people that want to help, and then there have been of anecdotal one-offs where maybe a couple of people made a really good connection with an alumni and that person was able to meet with them later, give them really sound advice, help them find a job."
As Germanese acknowledged, though, the process of making those connections would be much more difficult this year. However, her along with the advisory board "never thought twice" about still holding the event, albeit in a virtual setting.
"Life kept going on," she said. "I think we've all had a year's worth of events that were supposed to be in person that have been moved virtually, so there was a lot of precedent for us being able to actually do it."
After reaching out to fellow alumni, the board landed on Saturday, Feb. 27, as the date for the Zoom installment of the Duke women's soccer networking event. Germanese worked diligently to set up breakout rooms that featured different fields of interest, including finance, healthcare and education. Another room was geared towards Blue Devils looking to pursue the game at the next level, and had former NWSL player Kim DeCesare and current Sky Blue FC forward Imani Dorsey ready to discuss the differences between collegiate and pro soccer as well as the opportunities of playing abroad.
In total, 18 Duke alumni attended the virtual event. In many ways, it served as an advantage compared to past years, as there were no geographic limitations and current players had the chance to join in on multiple panels during the afternoon. The dynamic of creating strong connections via Zoom, though, proved to be perhaps more unnatural than what an in-person experience would provide.
"I think just sometimes it's awkward," Germanese said. "It's hard to read the room. We did it so in the panels, we introduced ourselves. I made short bio slides – 'This is when I graduated, this is what I majored in, this is what I do today.' I really wanted to make sure that if there were questions, it was a forum for questions. Depending on the group that you had, you could have six freshmen and one senior. They didn't really know what to ask, so there were moments where we had to fill the silence, but that usually would spark conversation."
The event closed with the numerous panels coming together where Germanese and head coach Robbie Church could address everyone on the call. For Church, an afternoon like Saturday's is another chance to check in on his former players, and to celebrate the success they've had since moving on from the Duke program.
"It's always very good to see them," he said. "It makes you smile, makes you laugh. It brings back a lot of memories. I spent a lot of time with a lot of those young ladies, and now they've all grown up. Some of them have kids, are married and have terrific careers. I'm very proud of all of them and I appreciate all their time and effort. They have a busy life themselves, and for them to take time off on a Saturday afternoon for us means a lot."
The networking event, as Germanese pointed out, brings with it an element that is specific to Duke itself. Former Blue Devil players have gone on to work in a multitude of professions across the globe, and while the primary focus for the current student-athletes remains developing their abilities on the pitch, there are numerous examples of what else is possible outside the white lines.
"It is very unique," she said. "You have the caliber of program where especially recently, a lot of players go play pro – not only in the U.S., but also abroad. But also, you're a student-athlete. The emphasis on 'student' first is still a very important principle of Duke soccer. The team's GPA was very high this year, so clearly, academics are important. I thought it was interesting there were a lot of folks who, when they ranked their preferences, it was pro soccer then medicine, or pro soccer then finance. There was a sense of, 'I want to go pursue my passion, which is soccer, and I'm in the only time in my life when I'll be able to do this, but I also recognize that I'll be able to get a degree from an elite university and I want to have a long-term career – let me also understand what life beyond that might look like.' Hopefully, this gave some flexibility."
In future years, Germanese said that the advisory board will aim to hold the event in Durham again. An in-person opportunity to meet alumni who shared the experiences of current players will always serve the greatest benefit. But in the era of socially distancing and using virtual outlets as our primary means of gathering, Germanese did not skip a year to help strengthen the Duke women's soccer family.
"She did a phenomenal job," Church said. "We really appreciate all the work that she put into it and everything that she did. It means a great deal. Our alumni, after leaving Duke, become very successful and to be able to give back to the current players and talk to them about their journey is really important for our program."
#GoDuke
Kieran Hall, Devin Lynch, Kat Rader Postgame Vs. Stanford
Saturday, December 06
Kieran Hall, Kat Rader, and Carina Lageyre Postgame Vs. Washington
Saturday, November 29
Kieran Hall, Cam Roller, and Kat Rader Postgame Vs. Kansas
Monday, November 24
Kieran Hall, Kat Rader, Mia Minestrella Postgame Vs. Elon
Saturday, November 15
