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“Be it to Become it” - Lageyre Leads by Example
9/29/2025 9:44:00 AM | Women's Soccer
A product of Roswell, Ga., Riley Jackson is in her second season with the North Carolina Courage. Once a Duke women's soccer commit, Jackson signed with the Courage during high school as a 17-year-old. Jackson is a former No. 1 ranked recruit nationally and was the 2021-22 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Jackson will be a contributing writer during the 2025 season for the Blue Devils telling stories of the Duke women's soccer program.
DURHAM, N.C.-- With a supportive group of 25 friends and family in attendance, senior midfielder and Florida native Carina Lageyre returned home to play in front of her loved ones for the first time in her Duke career in a recent match against Miami. Lageyre expressed her excitement at the opportunity to share the moment with those closest to her.
"It was a dream come true," said Lageyre. "I had been looking forward to that game for so long, I am so close to my family so it meant so much for them to all be there supporting me."
Representing the Duke women's soccer program for the last four years has been nothing short of special for Lageyre. Logging 3,962 minutes and starting 47 out of 53 career games, including 46 in a row, every year has presented unique experiences. Lageyre has developed into one of the top midfielders in not just the ACC, but nationally. She has learned to cherish her remaining time with the group she considers to be her second family.
"Being part of this Duke team means everything to me," said Lageyre. "This team is my second family. We have gotten so close throughout my four years here. I have met such great people from such diverse backgrounds. I am trying to enjoy and cherish every moment, including the little moments like singing karaoke with the team during bus rides."
After facing many challenges during her Duke career, including enduring an injury her freshman year and missing out on the NCAA Tournament her sophomore season, she has used her experience to grow into her current leadership role on the squad. Watching from the sideline while battling injury provided a new perspective for Lageyre.
"I always loved watching soccer, but having more time allowed me to become more in tune with the tactical aspect of our team and find more players to focus on," said Lageyre. "It allowed me to find the best way to help the team even though I could not physically play"
Observing the behaviors and talents of notable upperclassmen laid the framework for Lageyre's desire to be an example for younger players herself.
"We had such great leaders on the team that encouraged me to eventually step into that role myself," said Lageyre. "The experience of players like Maggie Graham, Nicky Chico, Leah Freeman, Hannah Bebar, has been a lot for me to learn from."
While learning from many greats, Lageyre was able to develop her own unique leadership style. Her consistent quality of play has allowed her to lead the group by example, and her desire to push herself outside of her comfort zone encourages her teammates to take risks and be confident in their ability.
"This year's emphasis has been leadership. I have always tried to lead by example. It is known across the team that I am not the loudest on the field and I am pretty introverted," said Lageyre. "It has been a journey finding different ways to lead the group. I have a lot of knowledge and experience that I want to share with the team, especially since we have such a young roster."
"Carina is like our kind of silent hero," said Duke redshirt junior Kat Rader. "She doesn't always get the recognition she deserves, but she is probably the most consistent player on our team and has been for the past two years. She shows up every game and brings just undeniable work ethic in the midfield. She's awesome on the ball, but I think her defensive ability is something that's not always talked about. She's always winning balls up to the midfielders and making our back line and our forwards job easier. She brings a lot to our team and is the center and heart of a lot of what we do."
Along with the development of her role as a leader, Lageyre seeks to grow aspects of her game that will continue to form her into one of the best midfielders in college soccer. Having totaled four career goals, including two game-winners, and 11 assists for 19 points, Lageyre continues to create opportunities and make an impact on both ends of the pitch. Known for her consistent quality of passing and her ability to control the tempo, Lageyre's goal includes adding a layer of explosiveness and using her creativity on the ball in dribbling situations more often.
"A goal this year has been to show a change of speed in how I play," said Lagerye. "I am a very pass-oriented player, but I want to show more of my dribbling ability when possible."
Lageyre is willing to do whatever it takes to help lead the team to success in her last season. Even if that means stepping into a new role and taking on different responsibilities deeper on the pitch.
"In the current position I am in it might encourage me to be more of a defensive player, preventing counter-attacks or maintaining a lock down shape and finding the best way to make an imprint on the game."
"Carina is immense, she's been fantastic," said Duke head coach Kieran Hall. "There's been massive growth in Carina in so many different ways -- she's always been a fantastic footballer, but the fact that now she's robust, she's tough and her counter pressing is phenomenal. She brings this physical scale in midfield now that she's added and developed over the years to her game. She's so consistent and she's such a powerful player in midfield. Her career is going to skyrocket after her Duke time, for sure."
Making the midfield her own looks like embracing her creativity and competitive edge while remaining calm under pressure. Lageyre spoke about how the team's mantra 'be it to become it' keeps her grounded in the chaos that accompanies playing in the midfield.
"I try to stay as composed as possible under pressure. When you appear calm, it helps calm the team." Lageyre said. "As a group, we've talked about shifting from the idea of 'fake it till you make it' and embracing 'be it to become it.' It means truly embodying a trait so that belief naturally spreads to those around you."
Moving into the heart of conference play, Lageyre's message to the team emphasizes focus and attention to detail that will be the key distinguisher between their squad and other talented programs within the ACC.
"It is going to be a grind," said Lageyre. "There are no games off, in the blink of an eye one play can change the trajectory of a game."
Lageyre, a member of the United States U-20 Women's Youth National Team for the 2022 FIFA Women's World Cup in Costa Rica, brings valuable experience from the squad's deep run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. She hopes to make another push towards success this year, counting last year's journey to the College Cup among her favorite memories playing at Duke.
"Making the College Cup was so special, especially since it was Robbie's [Church] last year," said Lageyre. "We worked so hard and had gone through so much as a team. Going deep into that tournament was such a great experience and something that I wanted to come to Duke to do."
Looking to build on the team's prior success, Lageyre and the team are focused on upcoming ACC match-ups against Pitt and North Carolina at home at Koskinen Stadium. First off is the Panthers on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's soccer, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWSOC".
#GoDuke
DURHAM, N.C.-- With a supportive group of 25 friends and family in attendance, senior midfielder and Florida native Carina Lageyre returned home to play in front of her loved ones for the first time in her Duke career in a recent match against Miami. Lageyre expressed her excitement at the opportunity to share the moment with those closest to her.
"It was a dream come true," said Lageyre. "I had been looking forward to that game for so long, I am so close to my family so it meant so much for them to all be there supporting me."
Representing the Duke women's soccer program for the last four years has been nothing short of special for Lageyre. Logging 3,962 minutes and starting 47 out of 53 career games, including 46 in a row, every year has presented unique experiences. Lageyre has developed into one of the top midfielders in not just the ACC, but nationally. She has learned to cherish her remaining time with the group she considers to be her second family.
"Being part of this Duke team means everything to me," said Lageyre. "This team is my second family. We have gotten so close throughout my four years here. I have met such great people from such diverse backgrounds. I am trying to enjoy and cherish every moment, including the little moments like singing karaoke with the team during bus rides."
After facing many challenges during her Duke career, including enduring an injury her freshman year and missing out on the NCAA Tournament her sophomore season, she has used her experience to grow into her current leadership role on the squad. Watching from the sideline while battling injury provided a new perspective for Lageyre.
"I always loved watching soccer, but having more time allowed me to become more in tune with the tactical aspect of our team and find more players to focus on," said Lageyre. "It allowed me to find the best way to help the team even though I could not physically play"
Observing the behaviors and talents of notable upperclassmen laid the framework for Lageyre's desire to be an example for younger players herself.
"We had such great leaders on the team that encouraged me to eventually step into that role myself," said Lageyre. "The experience of players like Maggie Graham, Nicky Chico, Leah Freeman, Hannah Bebar, has been a lot for me to learn from."
While learning from many greats, Lageyre was able to develop her own unique leadership style. Her consistent quality of play has allowed her to lead the group by example, and her desire to push herself outside of her comfort zone encourages her teammates to take risks and be confident in their ability.
"This year's emphasis has been leadership. I have always tried to lead by example. It is known across the team that I am not the loudest on the field and I am pretty introverted," said Lageyre. "It has been a journey finding different ways to lead the group. I have a lot of knowledge and experience that I want to share with the team, especially since we have such a young roster."
"Carina is like our kind of silent hero," said Duke redshirt junior Kat Rader. "She doesn't always get the recognition she deserves, but she is probably the most consistent player on our team and has been for the past two years. She shows up every game and brings just undeniable work ethic in the midfield. She's awesome on the ball, but I think her defensive ability is something that's not always talked about. She's always winning balls up to the midfielders and making our back line and our forwards job easier. She brings a lot to our team and is the center and heart of a lot of what we do."
Along with the development of her role as a leader, Lageyre seeks to grow aspects of her game that will continue to form her into one of the best midfielders in college soccer. Having totaled four career goals, including two game-winners, and 11 assists for 19 points, Lageyre continues to create opportunities and make an impact on both ends of the pitch. Known for her consistent quality of passing and her ability to control the tempo, Lageyre's goal includes adding a layer of explosiveness and using her creativity on the ball in dribbling situations more often.
"A goal this year has been to show a change of speed in how I play," said Lagerye. "I am a very pass-oriented player, but I want to show more of my dribbling ability when possible."
Lageyre is willing to do whatever it takes to help lead the team to success in her last season. Even if that means stepping into a new role and taking on different responsibilities deeper on the pitch.
"In the current position I am in it might encourage me to be more of a defensive player, preventing counter-attacks or maintaining a lock down shape and finding the best way to make an imprint on the game."
"Carina is immense, she's been fantastic," said Duke head coach Kieran Hall. "There's been massive growth in Carina in so many different ways -- she's always been a fantastic footballer, but the fact that now she's robust, she's tough and her counter pressing is phenomenal. She brings this physical scale in midfield now that she's added and developed over the years to her game. She's so consistent and she's such a powerful player in midfield. Her career is going to skyrocket after her Duke time, for sure."
Making the midfield her own looks like embracing her creativity and competitive edge while remaining calm under pressure. Lageyre spoke about how the team's mantra 'be it to become it' keeps her grounded in the chaos that accompanies playing in the midfield.
"I try to stay as composed as possible under pressure. When you appear calm, it helps calm the team." Lageyre said. "As a group, we've talked about shifting from the idea of 'fake it till you make it' and embracing 'be it to become it.' It means truly embodying a trait so that belief naturally spreads to those around you."
Moving into the heart of conference play, Lageyre's message to the team emphasizes focus and attention to detail that will be the key distinguisher between their squad and other talented programs within the ACC.
"It is going to be a grind," said Lageyre. "There are no games off, in the blink of an eye one play can change the trajectory of a game."
Lageyre, a member of the United States U-20 Women's Youth National Team for the 2022 FIFA Women's World Cup in Costa Rica, brings valuable experience from the squad's deep run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. She hopes to make another push towards success this year, counting last year's journey to the College Cup among her favorite memories playing at Duke.
"Making the College Cup was so special, especially since it was Robbie's [Church] last year," said Lageyre. "We worked so hard and had gone through so much as a team. Going deep into that tournament was such a great experience and something that I wanted to come to Duke to do."
Looking to build on the team's prior success, Lageyre and the team are focused on upcoming ACC match-ups against Pitt and North Carolina at home at Koskinen Stadium. First off is the Panthers on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's soccer, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWSOC".
#GoDuke
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