Upcoming Event: Women's Soccer versus Alabama on September 7, 2025 at 1:30 p.m.
Women's Soccer
vs Alabama
Thursday, August 17
Durham, N.C.
7 p.m.
Duke University
vs
West Virginia
Photo by: Duke Athletics
No. 4 Blue Devils Open Season Thursday by Hosting WVU
8/16/2023 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Live Stats l Watch on ACC Network Extra  l Twitter  l Media Guide  l Media Hub
Match 1
West Virginia (0-0-0) at #4 Duke (0-0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 - 7 PM (ET) - ACC Network Extra
Durham, N.C. (Koskinen Stadium)
ACC Network Extra Talent: Evan Budrovich (PXP), Brian Hand (Analyst)
NEED TO KNOW
•   Duke opens the 2023 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 17 by hosting West Virginia at 7 p.m., inside Koskinen Stadium.
•   The match will be aired live on ACC Network Extra with Evan Budrovich (PXP) and Brian Hand (Color) calling the action.
•   Duke has been preseason ranked No. 4 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
•   Coming off three straight NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearances, Duke returns five starters -- Maggie Graham, Katie Groff, Olivia Migli, Kat Rader and Emily Royson -- and 15 letterwinners off its 15-5-3 squad from 2022.
•   Duke welcomes the No. 6 overall recruiting class with eight freshmen and three transfers. In the final TopDrawerSoccer.com (TDS) class of 2023 rankings, the Blue Devils featured four players in the top-40 of the ledger – Cameron Roller (5), Mia Minestrella (13), Kiera Clemens (26) and Phoebe Goldthwaite (38). The reigning Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year, Leah Freeman, from Oregon along with two-year starter Kati Druzina (Notre Dame) and Julia Saunicheva (UCLA) also transferred in.
STORYLINES/OTHER BLUE DEVIL NOTES
•   The Blue Devils have won five straight season openers and seven out of the last eight.
•   Duke currently owns 449 all-time wins over the 35 seasons of women's soccer. The next victory would be the Blue Devils' 450th win as a program.
•   The Blue Devils open the season with three straight home matches at Koskinen Stadium. Overall, Duke features nine home matches in Durham for the 2023 regular season.
•   Duke welcomes 11 newcomers to the 2023 roster as head coach Robbie Church enters his 23rd season with the Blue Devils. Â
•   In 2022, when Kat Rader scored, the Blue Devils featured a 9-0-1 ledger. Â
•   Duke features a leadership committee of its six seniors (returning players only) to start the season -- Nicky Chico, Maggie Graham, Katie Groff, Olivia Migli, Emily Royson and Grace Watkins.
•   Senior Maggie Graham enters her first season at Duke without her sister, Delaney, as Delaney graduated this past year and is now enrolled in the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tenn., to start the process of being a doctor. Â
•   Duke's Elle Piper has been reunited with longtime friend and teammate Julia Saunicheva. The two have known each other since they were 10 years old and played club soccer together. Â
•   The Blue Devils will need to replace the reigning MAC Hermann Trophy Award winner Michelle Cooper, after she turned professional following her sophomore season with Duke. In two seasons, Cooper scored 31 goals, added 16 assists and posted 78 points. She scored in 29-of-40 matches. Â
THE SERIES WITH WEST VIRGINIA
•   The Blue Devils' all-time series record against the Mountaineers is 2-3-1.
•   In two matches in Durham, West Virginia holds a 1-0-1 ledger with the contests coming in 2013 and 2016.
•   Their last matchup was on March 27, 2021, in which the Blue Devils dropped a 3-2 ledger on the road. Sophie Jones and Caitlin Cosme scored both goals for Duke.
•   West Virginia has won three out of the last four meetings.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
•   West Virginia was selected to finish fourth in the 2023 Big 12 Soccer Preseason Poll.
•   The Mountaineers are coming off totaling a 11-5-7 overall and a 4-1-4 mark in Big 12 Conference play in 2022.
•   West Virginia secured its 18th conference title after winning the 2022 Big 12 Tournament, marking its 10th Big 12 title all time.
•   WVU earned the Big 12's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the second round in its 22nd tournament appearance.
•   Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown led the squad to its 23rd consecutive season with 10 wins or more, as she has never had a losing season as the program's only head coach.
DUKE VS. THE BIG 12
•   Duke currently holds a 9-7-1 record against teams from the Big 12 Conference.
A WIN WOULD...
•   Be the 450th in program history.
•   Give Duke six straight season-opening wins and eight out of the last nine in openers.
•   Increase the Blue Devils' home winning streak to seven dating back to last year.
SEASON OPENERS...
•   The Blue Devils have won five straight season openers and seven out of the last eight.
•   Over the last 11 years, Duke has opened the season at home only twice and won both matches (2021 & 2018). The Blue Devils are 15-0 all-time when opening the season at home in Koskinen Stadium and outscored opponents (55-5).
•   Head coach Robbie Church is 10-0 in home season openers in his 22 years with the Blue Devils, while allowing only two goals in those matches.
HEY, I KNOW YOU...
•   Duke freshman Mia Minestrella played with West Virginia's Reagan Malia in club soccer.
•   The duo started when they were 6-7 yrs old in club for Manhattan Beach Sand & Surf.
•   Reagan's dad, Joe Malia, was the coach at LMU women's soccer at the time and then he moved to the University of Tennessee so they didn't play together for too long.
•  Duke's Caroline Duffy knows four different West Virginia players -- Aria Bilal, Malia, Iman Mustafa and Lily McCarthy.
•  Duffy and Bilal played together from U13 to U18 on the Maryland United ECNL team.
•  Duffy and Malia played with each other their senior year on Maryland United ECNL U18, but knew each other through the club for many years before that.
•  Mustafa and Duffy were good friends in elementary school before her family relocated to California. They never played soccer on the same team, but always stayed in touch throughout their high school years seeing each other at various National ECNL events.
•  Through Maryland United, Duffy and McCarthy know each other. McCarthy played on the ECNL that was one year ahead of Duffy's team. They often practiced together, but over the years got to know each other well.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
•   Duke currently features a six-match winning streak at home in Koskinen Stadium. Â
•   In the six-match winning streak, Duke has outscored its opponents 14-2.
•   Over the last six seasons, the Blue Devils have totaled a 57-10-7 ledger at home.
•   In 22 years under the direction of head coach Robbie Church, Duke owns a 165-42-29 record at home.
TOUGH DEFENSE
•   Over the last three years, Duke has featured 29 shutouts.
•   The Blue Devils return key components on the defensive side with Emily Royson, Elle Piper, Nicky Chico, Olivia Migli, Katie Groff and Baleigh Bruster.
•   Freshman Cameron Roller was rated as the top defender in the 2023 class by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
•   Leah Freeman enters her first season with the Blue Devils, after totaling 18 shutouts in goal at Oregon the last three seasons.
EXHIBITION WINS
•   The Blue Devils collected a pair of wins against Wake Forest (2-0) and No. 12 South Carolina (2-1). Â
•   Kat Rader scored both goals on the road against the Gamecocks to pace the Blue Devils.
•   Versus Wake Forest, Maggie Graham and Mia Minestrella tallied goals.
CHALLENGING START
•   Duke features a challenging start to the 2023 campaign facing a pair of ranked opponents over the first four matches. Â
•   The Blue Devils face preseason ranked No. 11 Stanford and No. 22 Southern California. Â
•   In the season opener, Duke faces West Virginia, which typically is nationally ranked year-by-year. Â
•   West Virginia, Southern California, Wisconsin and Stanford combined to win 51 matches in 2022. Overall, the teams were 51-15-16 last year.
LAGEYRE PRIMED FOR BREAKOUT SEASON
•   After arriving at Duke as a freshman injured from the 2022 U-20 FIFA Women's World Cup, Carina Lageyre never was healthy as a rookie. She was limited to only seven matches and one start.
•   Lageyre missed the final nine matches of the 2022 season.
•   Over the summer of 2023, Lageyre trained with Orlando Pride along with the WPSL Team in Miami – FC Surge. Â
•   Also played with the SF Glens of the USL W League along with Elle Piper and Julia Saunicheva towards the end of the season.
A full set of game notes are attached…
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Match 1
West Virginia (0-0-0) at #4 Duke (0-0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 - 7 PM (ET) - ACC Network Extra
Durham, N.C. (Koskinen Stadium)
ACC Network Extra Talent: Evan Budrovich (PXP), Brian Hand (Analyst)
NEED TO KNOW
•   Duke opens the 2023 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 17 by hosting West Virginia at 7 p.m., inside Koskinen Stadium.
•   The match will be aired live on ACC Network Extra with Evan Budrovich (PXP) and Brian Hand (Color) calling the action.
•   Duke has been preseason ranked No. 4 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
•   Coming off three straight NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearances, Duke returns five starters -- Maggie Graham, Katie Groff, Olivia Migli, Kat Rader and Emily Royson -- and 15 letterwinners off its 15-5-3 squad from 2022.
•   Duke welcomes the No. 6 overall recruiting class with eight freshmen and three transfers. In the final TopDrawerSoccer.com (TDS) class of 2023 rankings, the Blue Devils featured four players in the top-40 of the ledger – Cameron Roller (5), Mia Minestrella (13), Kiera Clemens (26) and Phoebe Goldthwaite (38). The reigning Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year, Leah Freeman, from Oregon along with two-year starter Kati Druzina (Notre Dame) and Julia Saunicheva (UCLA) also transferred in.
STORYLINES/OTHER BLUE DEVIL NOTES
•   The Blue Devils have won five straight season openers and seven out of the last eight.
•   Duke currently owns 449 all-time wins over the 35 seasons of women's soccer. The next victory would be the Blue Devils' 450th win as a program.
•   The Blue Devils open the season with three straight home matches at Koskinen Stadium. Overall, Duke features nine home matches in Durham for the 2023 regular season.
•   Duke welcomes 11 newcomers to the 2023 roster as head coach Robbie Church enters his 23rd season with the Blue Devils. Â
•   In 2022, when Kat Rader scored, the Blue Devils featured a 9-0-1 ledger. Â
•   Duke features a leadership committee of its six seniors (returning players only) to start the season -- Nicky Chico, Maggie Graham, Katie Groff, Olivia Migli, Emily Royson and Grace Watkins.
•   Senior Maggie Graham enters her first season at Duke without her sister, Delaney, as Delaney graduated this past year and is now enrolled in the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tenn., to start the process of being a doctor. Â
•   Duke's Elle Piper has been reunited with longtime friend and teammate Julia Saunicheva. The two have known each other since they were 10 years old and played club soccer together. Â
•   The Blue Devils will need to replace the reigning MAC Hermann Trophy Award winner Michelle Cooper, after she turned professional following her sophomore season with Duke. In two seasons, Cooper scored 31 goals, added 16 assists and posted 78 points. She scored in 29-of-40 matches. Â
THE SERIES WITH WEST VIRGINIA
•   The Blue Devils' all-time series record against the Mountaineers is 2-3-1.
•   In two matches in Durham, West Virginia holds a 1-0-1 ledger with the contests coming in 2013 and 2016.
•   Their last matchup was on March 27, 2021, in which the Blue Devils dropped a 3-2 ledger on the road. Sophie Jones and Caitlin Cosme scored both goals for Duke.
•   West Virginia has won three out of the last four meetings.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
•   West Virginia was selected to finish fourth in the 2023 Big 12 Soccer Preseason Poll.
•   The Mountaineers are coming off totaling a 11-5-7 overall and a 4-1-4 mark in Big 12 Conference play in 2022.
•   West Virginia secured its 18th conference title after winning the 2022 Big 12 Tournament, marking its 10th Big 12 title all time.
•   WVU earned the Big 12's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the second round in its 22nd tournament appearance.
•   Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown led the squad to its 23rd consecutive season with 10 wins or more, as she has never had a losing season as the program's only head coach.
DUKE VS. THE BIG 12
•   Duke currently holds a 9-7-1 record against teams from the Big 12 Conference.
A WIN WOULD...
•   Be the 450th in program history.
•   Give Duke six straight season-opening wins and eight out of the last nine in openers.
•   Increase the Blue Devils' home winning streak to seven dating back to last year.
SEASON OPENERS...
•   The Blue Devils have won five straight season openers and seven out of the last eight.
•   Over the last 11 years, Duke has opened the season at home only twice and won both matches (2021 & 2018). The Blue Devils are 15-0 all-time when opening the season at home in Koskinen Stadium and outscored opponents (55-5).
•   Head coach Robbie Church is 10-0 in home season openers in his 22 years with the Blue Devils, while allowing only two goals in those matches.
HEY, I KNOW YOU...
•   Duke freshman Mia Minestrella played with West Virginia's Reagan Malia in club soccer.
•   The duo started when they were 6-7 yrs old in club for Manhattan Beach Sand & Surf.
•   Reagan's dad, Joe Malia, was the coach at LMU women's soccer at the time and then he moved to the University of Tennessee so they didn't play together for too long.
•  Duke's Caroline Duffy knows four different West Virginia players -- Aria Bilal, Malia, Iman Mustafa and Lily McCarthy.
•  Duffy and Bilal played together from U13 to U18 on the Maryland United ECNL team.
•  Duffy and Malia played with each other their senior year on Maryland United ECNL U18, but knew each other through the club for many years before that.
•  Mustafa and Duffy were good friends in elementary school before her family relocated to California. They never played soccer on the same team, but always stayed in touch throughout their high school years seeing each other at various National ECNL events.
•  Through Maryland United, Duffy and McCarthy know each other. McCarthy played on the ECNL that was one year ahead of Duffy's team. They often practiced together, but over the years got to know each other well.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
•   Duke currently features a six-match winning streak at home in Koskinen Stadium. Â
•   In the six-match winning streak, Duke has outscored its opponents 14-2.
•   Over the last six seasons, the Blue Devils have totaled a 57-10-7 ledger at home.
•   In 22 years under the direction of head coach Robbie Church, Duke owns a 165-42-29 record at home.
TOUGH DEFENSE
•   Over the last three years, Duke has featured 29 shutouts.
•   The Blue Devils return key components on the defensive side with Emily Royson, Elle Piper, Nicky Chico, Olivia Migli, Katie Groff and Baleigh Bruster.
•   Freshman Cameron Roller was rated as the top defender in the 2023 class by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
•   Leah Freeman enters her first season with the Blue Devils, after totaling 18 shutouts in goal at Oregon the last three seasons.
EXHIBITION WINS
•   The Blue Devils collected a pair of wins against Wake Forest (2-0) and No. 12 South Carolina (2-1). Â
•   Kat Rader scored both goals on the road against the Gamecocks to pace the Blue Devils.
•   Versus Wake Forest, Maggie Graham and Mia Minestrella tallied goals.
CHALLENGING START
•   Duke features a challenging start to the 2023 campaign facing a pair of ranked opponents over the first four matches. Â
•   The Blue Devils face preseason ranked No. 11 Stanford and No. 22 Southern California. Â
•   In the season opener, Duke faces West Virginia, which typically is nationally ranked year-by-year. Â
•   West Virginia, Southern California, Wisconsin and Stanford combined to win 51 matches in 2022. Overall, the teams were 51-15-16 last year.
LAGEYRE PRIMED FOR BREAKOUT SEASON
•   After arriving at Duke as a freshman injured from the 2022 U-20 FIFA Women's World Cup, Carina Lageyre never was healthy as a rookie. She was limited to only seven matches and one start.
•   Lageyre missed the final nine matches of the 2022 season.
•   Over the summer of 2023, Lageyre trained with Orlando Pride along with the WPSL Team in Miami – FC Surge. Â
•   Also played with the SF Glens of the USL W League along with Elle Piper and Julia Saunicheva towards the end of the season.
A full set of game notes are attached…
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Players Mentioned
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