Blue Devils Explode for Six Goals in Win at No. 22 NCSU

Sunday, September 25

Raleigh, N.C.

7 P.M.

Duke University

8-2-0, 3-0-0

NC State

6-3-3, 1-2-0

Duke

NC State

Michelle Cooper, Katie Groff, Maggie Graham

Photo by: NC State

Blue Devils Explode for Six Goals in Win at No. 22 NCSU

9/25/2022 10:52:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score BOX SCORE (PDF)CHURCH INTERVIEW COOPER INTERVIEW

RALEIGH, N.C. – The fifth-ranked Duke women's soccer team had its offense come alive on the road Sunday evening at 22nd-ranked NC State as the Blue Devils registered a 6-0 victory at Dail Soccer Field/Track Complex in Raleigh, N.C.

Sophomore Michelle Cooper collected two goals and two assists for a career-high six points, while graduate student Mackenzie Pluck added two goals and one assist to pace the Blue Devils. Duke improved to 8-2-0 overall and 3-0-0 in the ACC, while NC State dropped to 6-3-3, 1-2-0.

How It Happened
•   Duke jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 5:33 into the match as Olivia Migli found Michelle Cooper in the middle of the Wolfpack's attacking third. Cooper took a few touches and blasted a 30-yard attempt that hit the top right corner of the net for her eighth goal of the season.
•   After a NCSU foul approximately 40 yards from the Wolfpack goal, Sophie Jones sent a free kick into the box, which was headed by the Wolfpack to Duke's Mackenzie Pluck. Pluck used her body to settle the ball and sent in her second goal of the season at the 7:39 mark.
•   The Wolfpack featured one of their best scoring chances late in the first half as Jameese Joseph was sprinting towards the Blue Devil goal along with Duke defender Baleigh Bruster. Bruster made a great sliding tackle to negate the scoring chance.
•   The Blue Devils held a 7-2 advantage in shots, including four on goal in the first half.
•   Duke wasted no time making it 3-0 in the second half as Pluck sent a cross from the left side to a leaping Cooper, who headed in her second goal of the night at the 45:45 mark.
•   Pluck added her second goal of the evening and 21st of her career at the 53:27 mark from 19 yards out, off assists from Cooper and Katie Groff.
•   Freshman Kat Rader made it 5-0 as she beat a Wolfpack defender to the ball and struck a perfect shot into the back of the net for her fifth goal of the season.
•   At the 66:45 mark, Grace Watkins sent a corner kick from the right side to Groff. Groff headed the ball towards the goal that went off Rader and to Maggie Graham, who finished her seventh career goal.
•   Duke held a 16-2 advantage in shots for the match, including 11 on goal.

Notes
•   The six goals by Duke against NC State were the most by the Blue Devils in the series against the Wolfpack (previous was five in 2015). The six goals were the most for Duke against an ACC opponent since 2013 against Pittsburgh (6).
•   Michelle Cooper has now played 28 matches and collected a goal or assist in 21 of those contests.
•   Cooper posted her fifth career multi-goal contest and third this season. She owns four goals and two assists over the last two matches.
•   Duke is now 15-4-1 over the last 19 road matches, including seven straight wins.
•   Cooper owns 21 career goals, which is the second-most by a Blue Devil through their sophomore season. She also has 52 points, which is the second-most by a Duke player through their first two seasons.
•   After starting a different lineup in the first nine matches, Duke used the same 11 against the Wolfpack as the Boston College contest on Thursday.
•   Cooper's goal at the 45:45 mark was the seventh-quickest tally in Duke history to start the second half.
•   Katie Groff turned in a career-high two assists on the night in her hometown of Raleigh.
•   Pluck's five points on the evening (2 goals, 1 assist) were a career high. Pluck now owns 28 career assists, which is fifth all-time on the Duke charts.

Quotes
"Tim [Santoro] and his staff do a great, great job over here [at NC State]. We just played exceptional tonight and we played exceptional in big parts of the game. So, the first 15 minutes of the first half and the first 15 minutes of the second half we were really, really good. Michelle [Cooper] was unbelievable. Not only Michelle, we had a ton of players that were really, really good."   – Duke head coach Robbie Church

"We are playing well. It was a great week. We got two ACC wins and two shutouts so that is good. There is a lot of soccer left to be played and we have a big game coming up. We look forward to playing on Friday night." – Duke head coach Robbie Church

Next Match
Duke will return home to Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C., for three straight home matches. The Blue Devils host second-ranked Virginia on Friday, September 30 at 7 p.m.

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