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7 p.m.
Women's Soccer
at Virginia
Thursday, September 9
Durham, N.C.
7 p.m.
Duke University
vs
East Carolina
No. 5 Duke Wraps Up Non-Conference Slate Thursday vs. ECU
9/8/2021 4:34:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Match 6
No. 5 Duke (5-0-0) vs. East Carolina (4-2-0)
Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021 | 7 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Durham, N.C. – Koskinen Stadium
NEED TO KNOW
DUKE VS. EAST CAROLINA
SCOUTING THE PIRATES
LAST TIME OUT: DUKE 2, STANFORD 1
COSME DOES IT AT BOTH ENDS
RUTHIE AT THE READY
For more information on Duke women's soccer, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching 'DukeWSOC.'
#GoDuke
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No. 5 Duke (5-0-0) vs. East Carolina (4-2-0)
Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021 | 7 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Durham, N.C. – Koskinen Stadium
NEED TO KNOW
- No. 5 Duke looks to remain unbeaten when it closes out its non-conference slate against East Carolina on Thursday, Sept. 9 at Koskinen Stadium.
- The match kicks off at 7 p.m. and will stream live on ACC Network Extra with Chris Edwards and Cedric Burke on the call.
- Duke's 5-0-0 start to the season marks the third time in program history and the first time under head coach Robbie Church that the Blue Devils won each of their first five matches.
- A win on Thursday would mark the first time in program history that Duke went through its non-conference schedule with zero losses and zero ties.
- The Blue Devils are coming off a thrilling 2-1 victory at home over No. 10 Stanford on Thursday, Sept. 2.
- Freshman Michelle Cooper got the Blue Devils on the board in the first half against the Cardinal and is the only player in program history to score five goals over her first five career matches.
- Cooper currently leads the ACC in shots per game (5.4) while ranking tied for first in total shot attempts (27). Her five goals and 11 points are both tied for fifth in the conference.
- Graduate student Caitlin Cosme netted her first goal of the season and her third career game-winning tally in the 70th minute versus Stanford, earning a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week.
- Mackenzie Pluck opened her senior campaign with three goals in Duke's first four matches, marking the most goals in a four-game stretch for the North Wales, Pa., native since September of 2019.Â
- Junior goalkeeper Ruthie Jones has allowed just three goals on 29 shots faced this season and boasts a .786 save percentage.
- The 2021 campaign marks the 34th season in program history and the 21st in Durham for head coach Robbie Church, where he has won 261 games and led the Blue Devils to three NCAA College Cup appearances.
DUKE VS. EAST CAROLINA
- Despite the two campuses being separated by just 109 miles, Thursday will be the first all-time matchup between Duke and East Carolina.
- Duke is 103-29-11 (.759) all-time and 49-7-9 (.823) under head coach Robbie Church when facing an opponent for the first time in program history.
- The Blue Devils are 61-6-0 (.910) all-time against non-conference opponents from the state of North Carolina. Duke improved to 3-0-0 this season when it defeated Western Carolina, 6-0, on Aug. 26 at Koskinen Stadium.
SCOUTING THE PIRATES
- East Carolina brings a 4-2-0 record and a three-game winning streak into Thursday night's matchup.
- After a 1-2 start to the season with losses to Old Dominion and South Carolina, the Pirates have claimed three straight wins against High Point (Aug. 29), Campbell (Sept. 2) and VCU (Sept. 5), outscoring their opponents 5-1 during the streak.
- Jason Hamilton's squad boasts a balanced attack as nine players have gotten on the scoresheet this season.
- Freshman Peyton Godbey and graduate student Kim Sanford -- both defenders -- lead the team with two goals apiece.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Maeve English has started all six games, recording 21 saves while collecting two shutouts.Â
- The East Carolina roster is highlighted by four graduate students, three redshirt seniors and three seniors.
LAST TIME OUT: DUKE 2, STANFORD 1
- Duke improved to 5-0-0 for the first time since 2000 thanks to a thrilling 2-1 win over No. 10 Stanford on Thursday, Sept. 2 at Koskinen Stadium.
- An aggressive start led to the Blue Devils breaking through in the 23rd minute on Michelle Cooper's fifth goal of the season.
- Sophomore Emily Royson assisted on the play, sending a high-arching ball into the 18-yard box that found Cooper fighting for position. The Clarkston, Mich., native fired a left-footed shot past the Cardinal goalkeeper to give Duke a 1-0 lead.
- Junior Ruthie Jones made two saves in the first half, holding Stanford scoreless through the opening 45 minutes for the first time this season.
- After the Cardinal found the equalizer at the 65:50 mark, Duke regained the lead just four minutes later on a beautiful free kick just outside the box from graduate student Caitlin Cosme.
- The stalwart defender sent her attempt off the crossbar and in, marking her eighth career goal and third game-winner.
- The win was Duke's 10th victory against an opponent ranked in the top 10 of the United Soccer Coaches poll in the Robbie Church era.
- Duke has outscored its opponents 11-2 in the second half of games this season.
COSME DOES IT AT BOTH ENDS
- Graduate student Caitlin Cosme scored her eighth career goal and third game-winner on a free kick in the 70th minute against 10th-ranked Stanford last Thursday.
- The performance earned her a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week.
- It was yet another clutch goal for the New Hyde Park, N.Y., native who has shined on both ends of the pitch since the start of the 2020-21 season.
- Cosme led all ACC defenders with six tallies in her senior campaign, which included Duke's first goal in each of its first two matches.
- In the NCAA Tournament this past May, she headed home what proved to be the game-winner just 2:25 into Duke's Round of 16 match against Ole Miss.
- The team captain earned two ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors (Oct. 23, March 9) and was an All-Atlantic Region First Team selection by United Soccer Coaches.
- Cosme has seven goals in her last 26 matches after scoring just once in 28 appearances over her first three seasons.
- Starting alongside sophomores Katie Groff and Emily Royson, Cosme anchors a Duke defensive unit that has allowed three goals through five matches this season.
RUTHIE AT THE READY
- Ruthie Jones took over the starting goalkeeper duties on a rainy night against Virginia on Sept. 17, 2020 and has since emerged as one of the top players in the ACC at her position.
- The Charlotte, N.C., native collected 12 clean sheets and posted a goals against average of 0.70 in 2020-21.
- Jones had multiple streaks of over 300 minutes without allowing a goal, including a span of 429:21 that ranks sixth in program history.
- Perhaps her best performance came in Duke's NCAA Quarterfinal matchup against top-seeded Florida State, when she stopped eight shots and kept the high-powered Seminole offense off the board through 110 minutes of play.
- She finished her sophomore season with 56 saves (.800 save percentage) and posted an 11-5-4 record.
- Jones has 11 saves and a .786 save percentage through five games in the 2021 season and boats an 8-0-2 record in her last 10 starts dating back to the 2020-21 campaign.
- She collected three saves in last Thursday's win over Stanford, including two key stops in the first half.
For more information on Duke women's soccer, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching 'DukeWSOC.'
#GoDuke
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
D
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