Overcoming Obstacles: Roller’s Determined Journey in College Soccer

DURHAM, N.C.-- Growing up in the small town of Sherman, Texas, Cameron Roller faced numerous challenges. Each day, the aspiring soccer star, her younger brother, and their mother would pile into the car and embark on a nearly two-hour drive to Dallas for training, all while juggling school responsibilities.

Her love for the game was evident from an early age, although pursuing her soccer dreams was challenging, this was a cycle that Roller embraced.

That dedication she first showed for the game at the age of three has now carried over into her college career and it's evident that it's only going up from here.

Roller's dedication to soccer was clear from the very beginning. Recognizing that training required significant effort from everyone in the Roller family, she felt unwavering support from all sides.

"Soccer was a commitment I made early on, and my parents really made sure that it happened for me. I absolutely couldn't have done it without them," Roller reflected. "Where I'm from, there's nothing close by - everything is at least an hour away - so it required a lot of sacrifice, especially from my entire family, for me to pursue soccer and ultimately get to where I am today."

Soccer wasn't Roller's only sport. She also played basketball to spend time with friends, since her school didn't have a soccer team, and took up track to improve her fitness. However, her passion for soccer never wavered. She knew it was her true calling and was determined to excel at it.

Roller's determination was evident when her breakthrough came right before the COVID-19 pandemic, having secured a spot at the U-15 National Team Training Camp. This captured the attention of many who began to follow her journey.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic brought a temporary pause, it never derailed her progress.

"Right before COVID, I went into my first National Team camp and that opened my eyes in the sense of confidence for myself, because growing up, there were teams I didn't make," said Roller. "There were so many ups and downs where I honestly lacked confidence and even motivation. I've been in spots where I was like, 'do I even really want to play soccer?' And so after going into that camp and getting the whole year and a half to basically just play soccer by myself to get better at my game on my own, I could tell that there was motivation and passion behind it that I wanted."

That first U.S. Soccer training camp was the first of many to come as she would later help lead U.S. U-17 Women's Youth National Team to its fifth Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship in 2022 in Dominican Republic. The then was a member and captain of the United States 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup squad, which advanced to the quarterfinals.
Cameron Roller, Mia Minestrella, Kat Rader

Cameron Roller, Mia Minestrella, Kat Rader

Her standout play became noticed by many and Roller was tabbed as the No. 1 defender in the class of 2023 by TopDrawerSoccer and the No. 5 overall player in the class.

No challenge seemed too difficult for Roller when it came to pursuing her soccer dreams. After navigating a rigorous recruitment process and weighing her options between Duke and Florida State, Roller ultimately trusted her mother's intuition and knew that a spot on the Blue Devil roster was where she truly belonged.

However, a new challenge was thrown her way: injuries.

The spring prior to stepping foot on campus in 2023, Roller got word that she had stress fractures - meaning she would be out for the whole summer. She held on to hope that her recovery would be faster, thinking maybe she would be ready by August.

Mentally, it was tough - coming in as a freshman, frustrated that she hadn't had a chance to prove herself to the team.

Those frustrations forced her to grow, not just as a player, but as a teammate, especially knowing that she couldn't focus on her own game, she had to focus on supporting her teammates.

"Even though I was going through a difficult time, I made sure to be there for my teammates -- the ones on the field, getting minutes, and representing the program," said Roller. "I did everything I could to contribute to their success. In a way, helping others allowed me to deal with the isolation of my injury. By giving to them, I was also helping myself heal, both mentally and physically."

Roller missed the first couple of weeks of preseason practice, both exhibitions and the first three contests of the regular season as she recovered from her injuries.

Despite her long recovery process during her freshman season, Roller finally saw game action on the road against third-ranked Stanford. In limited minutes, Roller impressed the coaching staff.

Though it wasn't the outcome that the team wanted overall, Roller couldn't help but smile knowing that her long awaited recovery process was well worth it.

"People came up to me and gave me little hugs," said Roller. "I mean, it wasn't really something to celebrate, especially after what happened with the game. But I remember right after the match, I was thinking about my mom. She had come to every game, always hoping, 'Maybe this will be the one where I go in.' But for the Stanford game, she couldn't make it. So, as soon as it was over, I FaceTimed her, and we both just started crying. She said, 'Of course, the one game I don't go to, you finally play'," laughed Roller. "It really showed me that this journey is so much more than just about me or the sport itself. It's about the passion, the determination, and all the sacrifices along the way. I only played about 10 minutes, but those were my first 10 minutes on the field at Duke, after six long months of waiting. That moment opened my eyes to the bigger picture, reminding me of everything behind that single opportunity."

Despite the challenges of last season, Roller quickly secured her spot as a starting center-back for Duke. Roller went on to start 10 of her 16 matches played as a rookie, including the final eight in a row.

As a sophomore this season, Roller has started all eight matches at center back and has led a defense that leads the nation with only two goals allowed. The Blue Devils have won seven straight matches and been tabbed the No. 3 team nationally by the United Soccer Coaches.

59' | Right place, right time ??

Carina connects with Cam on the corner for a header!

???? 4, ETSU 0 pic.twitter.com/rIDQOsdIEf
— Duke Women's Soccer (@DukeWSOC) September 8, 2024

She thrives in the role as center back, embracing the responsibility of controlling the game from the back line.

Roller's performance this season has not gone unnoticed, especially by Duke head coach Robbie Church, who has stated that:

"Cam is the leader of our back line with Katie [Groff] and Nicky [Chico]," said Church. "Cam has been great. She had a goal against ETSU and UNCW, an assist versus Carolina and helped us to six shutouts on the season. She has been fantastic. Cam has just grown and showed me she's an All-American candidate, not only All-ACC, but an All-American candidate. We're really proud of her performance, all the defenders and Leah [Freeman] in goal as well."

From an overall perspective, last season's experiences made the team hungrier, especially toward the end of the season. Since last November, the Blue Devils have embraced the mentality that sometimes you need setbacks to move forward, and as Associate head coach Kieran Hall says, "Fail forward. We need to look ahead; everything that's happened is in the past now."

The spirit and hunger is now seen night and day compared to last year. A newfound confidence has been evident from last year to this year, and translation to players like Roller growing as both people and players.

Duke will next hit the pitch Thursday, Oct. 3 as the Blue Devils host Virginia at 7 p.m., inside Koskinen Stadium.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's soccer, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWSOC".

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