Upcoming Event: Women's Soccer versus #T18 Wake Forest on September 25, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Women's Soccer
vs #T18 Wake Forest
Thursday, August 19
Durham, N.C.
7 p.m.
Duke University
vs
Arkansas
No. 6 Duke Hosts No. 13 Arkansas in Season Opener Thursday
8/18/2021 2:16:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Match 1
No. 6 Duke (0-0-0) vs. No. 13 Arkansas (0-0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021 | 7 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Durham, N.C. – Koskinen Stadium
NEED TO KNOW
DUKE VS. ARKANSAS
SCOUTING THE RAZORBACKS
CAROLINA NIKE CLASSIC
ACC PRESEASON PICKS
PRESEASON BEST XI NODS
For more information on Duke women's soccer, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching 'DukeWSOC.'
#GoDuke
No. 6 Duke (0-0-0) vs. No. 13 Arkansas (0-0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021 | 7 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Durham, N.C. – Koskinen Stadium
NEED TO KNOW
- The sixth-ranked Duke women's soccer team opens the 2021 regular season with a home contest against No. 13 Arkansas on Thursday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m.
- The match kicks off the Carolina Nike Classic, an early-season event hosted annually by the University of North Carolina.
- Duke has participated in the event each year from 1991-94, 1996-2005 and 2006-19. The 2020-21 season did not feature the Carolina Nike Classic as each ACC team played a conference-only schedule in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Thursday's match will stream live on ACC Network Extra with Ryan Craig and Allison Gaskin on the call.
- The Blue Devils took the pitch for a pair of exhibition matches in early August, earning a 2-0 win over Georgia on Aug. 10 and a 3-1 victory at No. 7 Clemson on Aug. 13.
- The 2021 campaign marks the 34th season in program history and the 21st in Durham for head coach Robbie Church, where he has won 256 games and led the Blue Devils to three NCAA College Cup appearances.
- Duke put together a 12-5-4 record in an unprecedented 2020-21 season that featured the first spring matches in program history. The Blue Devils advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in the last 10 years, becoming one of just three programs nationally to do so.
- Duke returns 20 letterwinners and nine starters from last season's team. Each of the three 2020-21 team captains -- Tess Boade, Caitlin Cosme and Lily Nabet -- are using their additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have enrolled in graduate school at Duke.
- The 2021 roster is highlighted by five seniors -- Delaney Graham, Marykate McGuire, Mackenzie Pluck, Sydney Simmons and Holly Stam.
DUKE VS. ARKANSAS
- Thursday's match marks the fifth meeting between the Blue Devils and Razorbacks, with Duke leading the all-time series 2-1-1.
- The first match between the two teams came in the 1994 Carolina Classic, when Duke earned a 3-1 victory in Chapel Hill, N.C.
- Nineteen years went by before the next matchup, a thrilling back-and-forth affair in the NCAA Round of 16 that saw the Blue Devils advance via a 5-3 decision in penalty kicks.
- The Razorbacks picked up their first win in the all-time series in 2016 when they defeated then-No. 2 Duke, 2-1, in Fayetteville, Ark.
- Duke holds a 36-19-8 record against opponents from the SEC, with its last such matchup being a 1-0 win over Ole Miss in the NCAA Round of 16 on May 5, 2021.
SCOUTING THE RAZORBACKS
- Arkansas finished the 2020-21 season with a 12-4-0 record and a 7-1-0 mark in SEC play, earning its second consecutive regular season conference title.
- The Razorbacks were the No. 6 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament in May and advanced to the Round of 16 before falling to eventual national champion Santa Clara, 2-0.
- Colby Hale's squad returns its top five scorers from the 2020-21 campaign, led by reigning SEC Forward of the Year Anna Podojil, who registered seven goals and 10 assists for 24 points.
- Podojil is joined up front by senior forwards Parker Goins (19 points in 2020-21) and Kayla McKeon (15), creating one of the nation's most potent offenses.
- Hannah Warner is one of five goalkeepers on the Arkansas roster and played in five games last season, making 13 saves with a 1.40 goals against average.
CAROLINA NIKE CLASSIC
- Thursday's match is the first of two games for the Blue Devils in the 2021 Carolina Nike Classic, an annual early-season event hosted by the University of North Carolina.
- Duke has participated in the event each year from 1991-94, 1996-2005 and 2006-19. The 2020-21 season did not feature the Carolina Nike Classic as each ACC team played a conference-only schedule in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- After taking on the Razorbacks on Thursday, the Blue Devils will face No. 19 Washington on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 12 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium. North Carolina will host Washington in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Thursday at 7 p.m. and then welcome Arkansas on Sunday at 1 p.m.
- Duke is 29-18-1 all-time in the Classic, which perennially features high-level competition from around the country.
ACC PRESEASON PICKS
- The Blue Devils were picked fourth in the 2021 ACC Preseason Coaches Poll released Thursday morning.
- Senior Delaney Graham and junior Sophie Jones were tapped to the Preseason All-ACC team, with both looking to follow up an all-conference campaign in 2020-21.
- Duke received 129 votes, while preseason favorite and reigning conference champion Florida State garnered 167 votes.
PRESEASON BEST XI NODS
- TopDrawerSoccer.com released its Preseason Best XI selections on Tuesday, with junior Sophie Jones earning a spot on the First Team.
- Jones was a second-team Best XI pick at the end of the 2020-21 campaign and is one of three ACC players tapped to the top preseason squad. Florida State's Jaelin Howell and Emily Madril joined her on the First Team.
- Newcomer Michelle Cooper was named to the Preseason Freshman Best XI. The speedy forward from Clarkston, Mich., recorded an assist in Duke's exhibtion win over Georgia on Aug. 10 before she opened the scoring with a left-footed strike at Clemson on Aug. 13.
- As a program, Duke has garnered 12 Best XI selections since 2008.
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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GK
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