Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus #1 Stanford on December 5, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 1
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Photo by: Duke Athletics
Rader Turning in Impressive Rookie Campaign
11/3/2022 8:48:00 AM | Women's Soccer
By Morgan Pruchniewski, Duke Athletic Communications Student Assistant
DURHAM -- Before even finishing her first collegiate season, it is clear that Kat Rader is one of the best scorers in the nation. The freshman forward came into her rookie season at Duke as the No. 5 prospect in her class and has made an immediate impact.
Rader has made the tough adjustment from high school and club play to the collegiate level look easy.
"The biggest difference is the intensity of everything that we do," said Rader. "Everything is a lot faster and a higher level is expected of you. Everything is done with a greater purpose. College is more intense, but everything is driven towards a specific goal."
So far, Rader has more than accomplished this goal. She scored her first goal to lead the Blue Devils to a crucial, 3-2, come-from-behind win on the road at nationally-ranked Tennessee.
"My proudest moment so far this season was my first goal," said Rader. "It was so special to get my first goal as a game-winner."
Since that first goal, Rader has continued to be a strong presence at the front. The freshman has played every match this season, while starting 15 of those, and playing an impressive 1,084 minutes. She's scored 11 goals in total, along with three assists.
On Wednesday, Rader was tabbed the ACC Freshman of the Year becoming just the fifth Duke rookie to earn the honor.
With 11 goals, including eight against ACC teams, Rader leads all ACC freshmen and ranks third nationally. A product of Stuart, Fla., Rader owns a team-best four game-winning goals and a total of 25 points on the season. She has scored four goals over the last three matches and collected braces versus Louisville and Wake Forest on the year.
Rader picks up her level of play with the competition as she has scored 10-of-11 goals against either nationally-ranked opponents or ACC foes. She is also very efficient when shooting as she has attempted 24 shots on goal and 11 of those have hit the back of the net.
Rader has been able to develop a strong front for the Blue Devils, working alongside another prolific scorer in sophomore Michelle Cooper. The duo have combined to register 24 goals, which is the top scoring duo in the ACC.
Beyond working together on the field, Cooper has also served as a great mentor for Rader.
"Michelle is such a great role model, playing in a similar position," said Rader. "Even though she's only a sophomore, I look up to her a lot. Not only for her goal scoring and success in attack, but also her work rate and intensity that she brings every day."
"I think spending time off the field together has really helped us grow closer and has translated on the field quite well," said Cooper. "I'm really excited to see where she goes from here into her sophomore, junior and senior year at Duke. Because freshman year she's already doing really well. I can't wait to see her continue to grow."
Head coach Robbie Church is thrilled by her collegiate start as well.
"I think Kat has had an absolutely fantastic year for us," said Church. "She really strikes the ball very well, she can beat players, she cuts players and she's learning to shoot quicker. Now once she sees that window, she's striking the ball. Kat is becoming a real threat in this conference, she's one of the top strikers in this league and is developing into one of the top strikers in the country."
With Rader earning ACC Freshman of the Year, she joined the likes of Cooper, Cassie Pecht (2012), Casey McCluskey (2001) and Isis Dallis (1997) as Blue Devils to earn the prestigious award. She was also the only true freshman to be selected to First-Team or Second-Team All-ACC with her second team selection.
Her 11 goals on the year also equals Kelly Cobb's output from 2011, which ranks second on the Duke single-season freshman list. Rader is only one goal away from matching Cooper's Blue Devil freshman record of 12. The 25 points on the year for Rader also ranks sixth on the Duke freshman record charts.
Rader's freshman campaign is far from over.
"We want to win the ACC Championship and NCAA Championship," said Rader. "Individually, I want to keep scoring and assisting and contributing to the team in any way that I can."
The Blue Devils and Rader continue their 12-4-2 season into the ACC Championship. After registering a 2-1 win on the road at eighth-ranked Virginia on Sunday in the quarterfinals, Duke moves on to the semifinals this week. In the match against the Cavaliers, Rader collected her team-leading fourth game-winning goal as she connected on a second-half tally to lead the Blue Devils to the victory.
Watch Rader and the rest of the Duke women's soccer team as the Blue Devils take on their rivals, the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday in the ACC Championship semifinals. The Blue Devils play at 5:30 p.m., at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., live on ACC Network.
#GoDuke
DURHAM -- Before even finishing her first collegiate season, it is clear that Kat Rader is one of the best scorers in the nation. The freshman forward came into her rookie season at Duke as the No. 5 prospect in her class and has made an immediate impact.
Rader has made the tough adjustment from high school and club play to the collegiate level look easy.
"The biggest difference is the intensity of everything that we do," said Rader. "Everything is a lot faster and a higher level is expected of you. Everything is done with a greater purpose. College is more intense, but everything is driven towards a specific goal."
So far, Rader has more than accomplished this goal. She scored her first goal to lead the Blue Devils to a crucial, 3-2, come-from-behind win on the road at nationally-ranked Tennessee.
"My proudest moment so far this season was my first goal," said Rader. "It was so special to get my first goal as a game-winner."
Since that first goal, Rader has continued to be a strong presence at the front. The freshman has played every match this season, while starting 15 of those, and playing an impressive 1,084 minutes. She's scored 11 goals in total, along with three assists.
On Wednesday, Rader was tabbed the ACC Freshman of the Year becoming just the fifth Duke rookie to earn the honor.
With 11 goals, including eight against ACC teams, Rader leads all ACC freshmen and ranks third nationally. A product of Stuart, Fla., Rader owns a team-best four game-winning goals and a total of 25 points on the season. She has scored four goals over the last three matches and collected braces versus Louisville and Wake Forest on the year.
Rader picks up her level of play with the competition as she has scored 10-of-11 goals against either nationally-ranked opponents or ACC foes. She is also very efficient when shooting as she has attempted 24 shots on goal and 11 of those have hit the back of the net.
Rader has been able to develop a strong front for the Blue Devils, working alongside another prolific scorer in sophomore Michelle Cooper. The duo have combined to register 24 goals, which is the top scoring duo in the ACC.
Beyond working together on the field, Cooper has also served as a great mentor for Rader.
"Michelle is such a great role model, playing in a similar position," said Rader. "Even though she's only a sophomore, I look up to her a lot. Not only for her goal scoring and success in attack, but also her work rate and intensity that she brings every day."
"I think spending time off the field together has really helped us grow closer and has translated on the field quite well," said Cooper. "I'm really excited to see where she goes from here into her sophomore, junior and senior year at Duke. Because freshman year she's already doing really well. I can't wait to see her continue to grow."
Head coach Robbie Church is thrilled by her collegiate start as well.
"I think Kat has had an absolutely fantastic year for us," said Church. "She really strikes the ball very well, she can beat players, she cuts players and she's learning to shoot quicker. Now once she sees that window, she's striking the ball. Kat is becoming a real threat in this conference, she's one of the top strikers in this league and is developing into one of the top strikers in the country."
With Rader earning ACC Freshman of the Year, she joined the likes of Cooper, Cassie Pecht (2012), Casey McCluskey (2001) and Isis Dallis (1997) as Blue Devils to earn the prestigious award. She was also the only true freshman to be selected to First-Team or Second-Team All-ACC with her second team selection.
Her 11 goals on the year also equals Kelly Cobb's output from 2011, which ranks second on the Duke single-season freshman list. Rader is only one goal away from matching Cooper's Blue Devil freshman record of 12. The 25 points on the year for Rader also ranks sixth on the Duke freshman record charts.
Rader's freshman campaign is far from over.
"We want to win the ACC Championship and NCAA Championship," said Rader. "Individually, I want to keep scoring and assisting and contributing to the team in any way that I can."
The Blue Devils and Rader continue their 12-4-2 season into the ACC Championship. After registering a 2-1 win on the road at eighth-ranked Virginia on Sunday in the quarterfinals, Duke moves on to the semifinals this week. In the match against the Cavaliers, Rader collected her team-leading fourth game-winning goal as she connected on a second-half tally to lead the Blue Devils to the victory.
Watch Rader and the rest of the Duke women's soccer team as the Blue Devils take on their rivals, the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday in the ACC Championship semifinals. The Blue Devils play at 5:30 p.m., at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., live on ACC Network.
#GoDuke
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