Upcoming Event: Women's Soccer versus Wake Forest on September 25, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Women's Soccer
vs Wake Forest
Sunday, August 22
Durham, N.C.
12 p.m.
Duke University
vs
Washington
Blue Devils Face No. 19 Washington in Sunday Matinee
8/21/2021 3:31:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Match 2
No. 6 Duke (1-0-0) vs. No. 19 Washington (0-1-0)
Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021 | 12 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Durham, N.C. – Koskinen Stadium
NEED TO KNOW
DUKE VS. WASHINGTON
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
CAROLINA NIKE CLASSIC
DUKE BESTS ARKANSAS IN SEASON OPENER
JONES RACKS UP PRESEASON AWARDS
For more information on Duke women's soccer, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching 'DukeWSOC.'
#GoDuke
No. 6 Duke (1-0-0) vs. No. 19 Washington (0-1-0)
Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021 | 12 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Durham, N.C. – Koskinen Stadium
NEED TO KNOW
- The sixth-ranked Duke women's soccer team takes on No. 19 Washington in the second leg of the Carolina Nike Classic on Sunday, Aug. 22 at Koskinen Stadium.
- The match kicks off at 12 p.m. ET and will stream live on ACC Network Extra with Ryan Craig and Allison Gaskin on the call.
- Duke has participated in the Carolina Nike Classic 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.
- The Blue Devils opened the season with a 3-1 win over No. 13 Arkansas on Thursday, Aug. 19. Tess Boade and Mackenzie Pluck converted penalty kicks two minutes apart to give Duke a two-goal lead in the second half.
- Freshman Michelle Cooper netted Duke's opening goal, becoming the 18th player in program history to score in her first career start.
- The 2021 campaign marks the 34th season in program history and the 21st in Durham for head coach Robbie Church, where he has won 257 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. WASHINGTON
- The Blue Devils and Huskies have met just three times and only once during Robbie Church's Duke tenure -- a 4-3 overtime win by Washington in the 2002 Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C.
- Sunday's match will be the first played at Koskinen Stadium in the all-time series.
- Duke has lost two of the three matchups, with its lone win coming in Portland, Ore., during the 1995 season.
- The Blue Devils are 15-17-2 all-time against opponents from the Pac-12. Duke's last match versus a Pac-12 team was on Nov. 15, 2019 -- a 4-0 win over Utah in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
- Washington went 10-4-4 overall last season -- with its first game played on Feb. 12 -- and posted a 5-3-3 mark in Pac-12 play to finish third in the conference standings.
- The Huskies won two games in the NCAA Tournament in May before falling to third-seeded North Carolina, 1-0, in the Round of 16.
- Nicole Van Dyke's squad returns each of its top five scorers from 2020-21, led by senior Summer Yates (four goals, four assists) and redshirt senior Ameera Hussen (five goals, one assist).
- Defensively, the Huskies allowed just 12 goals in 18 matches, posting 12 clean sheets and seven shutout wins.
- Redshirt senior Olivia Sekany started 17 matches in goal last season, collecting a 9-4-4 record with 31 saves to 11 goals against.
- Washington dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 3 North Carolina on Thursday night in its first leg of the Carolina Nike Classic.
CAROLINA NIKE CLASSIC
- Sunday's match is the second 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 Washington on Thursday, North Carolina will host Arkansas in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Sunday at 1 p.m.
- Duke is 30-18-1 all-time in the Classic, which perennially features high-level competition from around the country.
DUKE BESTS ARKANSAS IN SEASON OPENER
- The 2021 Blue Devils got their season started on the right foot Thursday night, defeating No. 13 Arkansas 3-1 in front of a packed Koskinen Stadium.
- The Razorbacks opened the scoring at the 20:15 mark, but Duke found an equalizer in the 39th minute when freshman Michelle Cooper netted her first career goal from outside the 18-yard box.
- Cooper became the 18th Blue Devil to score in her first career start and the first since Ella Stevens in 2016.
- Senior Mackenzie Pluck used her speed to draw two penalties inside the box in the second half, setting Duke up for back-to-back PK opportunities just two minutes apart.
- Graduate student Tess Boade sent the first attempt into the lower left corner of the net to break the tie, before Pluck extended Duke's lead to two with a penalty goal of her own at the 50:51 mark.
- It marked the first career regulation penalty attempt for both Boade and Pluck.
- Duke continued to fire away at the Razorback goal, finishing the night with 19 shots and 10 on target.
- Ruthie Jones made one save in net to collect her 12th career win.
- The Blue Devils have now won each of their last four season openers and are 17-3-1 in season openers under Robbie Church.
JONES RACKS UP PRESEASON AWARDS
- Sophie Jones enters her junior year three months removed from a 2020-21 season that saw her become the 15th United Soccer Coaches All-American in program history.
- She has picked up numerous preseason accolades in the last few weeks, including Preseason All-ACC, College Soccer News Preseason All-America Second Team and TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason Best XI Team honors.
- Jones is also one of 59 players listed on the watch list for the MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year.
- After not getting on the scoresheet in her first 24 career games, the midfielder from Menlo Park, Calif., erupted for three goals in a five-game span in the spring of 2021.
- None were bigger than her game-winner in double-overtime of the NCAA Second Round match against Arizona State on May 1 that put Duke through to the Round of 16.
- By the end of her sophomore year, Jones' cabinet included All-Atlantic Region First Team, TopDrawerSoccer.com Best XI Second Team, All-ACC First Team and ACC All-Tournament Team honors.
For more information on Duke women's soccer, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching 'DukeWSOC.'
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
M
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's SoccerKieran Hall Postgame Vs. Notre Dame
Friday, September 19
Kieran Hall Postgame Vs. Miami
Monday, September 15
Kieran Hall Postgame Vs. Virginia
Friday, September 12
Kieran Hall Postgame Vs. Alabama
Sunday, September 07
