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Women's Soccer
vs Pitt
Thursday, August 15
Columbus, Ohio
7 p.m.
Duke University
at
Ohio State
Photo by: Duke Athletics
No. 24 Duke Opens Season Thursday at Ohio State
8/14/2024 1:45:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Live Stats l Watch l 2024 Media Guide l Media Hub l Notes
#24 Duke (0-0) at Ohio State (0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 15 - 7 p.m. – B1G+
Columbus, Ohio (Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium)
B1G+ Talent: Brendan Gulick (PXP), Ian Richardson (Analyst)
NEED TO KNOW
STORYLINES/OTHER BLUE DEVIL NOTES
THE SERIES WITH OHIO STATE
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
DUKE VERSUS THE BIG TEN
SEASON OPENERS
A WIN WOULD…
A full set of game notes are attached…
#24 Duke (0-0) at Ohio State (0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 15 - 7 p.m. – B1G+
Columbus, Ohio (Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium)
B1G+ Talent: Brendan Gulick (PXP), Ian Richardson (Analyst)
NEED TO KNOW
- The 24th-ranked Duke women's soccer team will open the season on the road at Ohio State on Thursday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m., inside Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
- Thursday's contest will be aired live on B1G+ with Brendan Gulick and Ian Richardson on the call.
- Duke is set to open the season on the road against back-to-back Big Ten opponents. The Blue Devils will be on the road for the first two matches, but then not again until Sept. 19 at Clemson.
- Duke welcomed eight newcomers to the 2024 roster as head coach Robbie Church is in his 24th season in Durham. Church announced on July 22, 2024 he will be retiring at the end of the season and Duke will be promoting associate head coach Kieran Hall to head coach in 2025. Current assistant coach Carla Overbeck will move to associate head coach in 2025 as well.
STORYLINES/OTHER BLUE DEVIL NOTES
- Duke has won six straight season openers and eight out of the last nine. Head coach Robbie Church has an all-time ledger of 19-3-1 in season openers at Duke.
- Over the last three years, Duke features a 10-1 record in the month of August.
- Following opening the season with back-to-back road contests, Duke will feature five straight home matches.
- Rookie Mary Long has been named to the TopDrawerSoccer First Team Freshman All-America preseason team.
- The trio of Hannah Bebar (Midfielder), Farrah Walters (Forward) and Kat Rader (Forward) were named to the United Soccer Coaches watch lists for preseason honors.
- The Blue Devils return 10 starters and 17 letterwinners from the previous season. Of the 15 goals scored in 2023, the Blue Devils return players that scored 13 of those led by Kat Rader (7), Carina Lageyre (2) and Katie Groff (2).
- Duke brought in four transfers for the 2024 campaign that feature excellent resumes. Hannah Bebar, Farrah Walters, Ella Hase and Mia Oliaro have combined to play in 141 matches with 132 starts, scored 48 goals, added 42 assists and notched 138 points over their careers.
- The Blue Devils were preseason ranked No. 24 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches poll, which marks the ninth time out of the last 10 years Duke has been ranked in the preseason.
- The last time Duke head coach Robbie Church dealt with a losing season was in 2014 and the next year he led the Blue Devils to the 2015 NCAA College Cup.
- Blue Devil head coach Robbie Church is seven wins away from reaching 300 victories at Duke.
- Duke will take its eight natives of California back to their home state in October for a week-long road trip to play Stanford (Oct. 10) and California (Oct. 13).
THE SERIES WITH OHIO STATE
- Duke features a 6-1 all-time ledger in the series with Ohio State.
- In the last match against the Buckeyes in 2018, the Blue Devils defeated Ohio State, 2-0, at home in Koskinen.
- The first match between the two squads was in 1994 in a contest played in Durham, where Duke defeated Ohio State, 3-0.
- The Blue Devils only loss to Ohio State was in 2014 in Chapel Hill where Duke fell, 1-0, in the UNC Nike Classic, which was the season opener as well.
- Head coach Robbie Church holds a record of 4-1-0 against Ohio State, winning his first match against the Buckeyes in 2007 at home in Durham, N.C.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
- Ohio State is coming off totaling a 9-8-2 ledger in 2023 under the direction of Lori Walker-Hock.
- The Buckeyes return nine starters and 15 letterwinners from a season ago.
- OSU returns its top scorer, Kailyn Dudukovich, who totaled 11 goals and five assists for 27 points a season ago.
- Last year, Ohio State was 7-3 at home.
DUKE VERSUS THE BIG TEN
- Duke holds a record of 39-32-8 against the Big Ten.
- The Blue Devils open the season with back-to-back Big Ten foes.
- In the most recent match against Big Ten opponents, Duke hosted Wisconsin at home in Durham, N.C., where the Blue Devils defeated the Badgers, 2-1, last season.
- Head coach Robbie Church currently holds a 23-22-6 record against The Big Ten conference.
SEASON OPENERS
- The Blue Devils have won six straight season openers and eight out of the last nine.
- Over the last 10 years, Duke has opened the season on the road seven times and the Blue Devils have a ledger of 5-2 in those contests.
- The Blue Devils have opened with two straight road contests in five of the last 10 years.
- Head coach Robbie Church has an all-time ledger of 19-3-1 in season openers at Duke, while owning an 8-3-1 record in road season openers with the Blue Devils.
- The last time the Blue Devils had two season opening games on the road was in 2019 at the Carolina Nike Classic where the Blue Devils defeated La Salle, 2-0, but later fell to North Carolina, 0-2, in Chapel Hill, N.C.
A WIN WOULD…
- Move head coach Robbie Church to 20-3-1 in season openers over his Duke career.
- Give the Blue Devils seven straight season-opening wins and nine out of the last 10.
- Move Church to 294 all-time wins and only six away from 300.
A full set of game notes are attached…
Players Mentioned
M
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
F
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