No. 3 Duke Heads West to Open Season Wednesday Against USC

Wednesday, August 12

Los Angeles, CA

9 p.m.

Duke University

Southern California

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Peter Raider, Duke Athletics

No. 3 Duke Heads West to Open Season Wednesday Against USC

8/11/2026 8:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Duke Notes

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Match 1
No. 3 Duke (0-0-0) at Southern California (0-0-0)
Wednesday, Aug. 12 – 9 PM (ET) – Big Ten Network
Los Angeles, Calif. (Rawlinson Stadium)
BTN Talent: Christian Miles (PBP), Tracey Bailey (Analyst)

NEED TO KNOW

The preseason third-ranked Duke women's soccer program hits the road to open the 2026 campaign this week with a pair of contests in Los Angeles, California. The Blue Devils open the season at Southern California Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 9 p.m. (ET) at Rawlinson Stadium.
The season-opening match will be aired live on the Big Ten Network with Christian Miles (PXP) and Tracey Bailey (Analyst) calling the action.
Duke will close the California trip with a Sunday, Aug. 16 match at ninth-ranked UCLA.
The Blue Devils will take 11 members of its squad to their home state of California for the season-opening trip.
Head coach Kieran Hall enters his second year as the head coach of the Blue Devils, after leading Duke to the NCAA College Cup in 2025 with a 17-5-1 record.
Following its season-opening West Coast trip, Duke will play three out of the next four contests at home in Durham.
Duke returns eight starters and features a roster that has scored 91 career goals entering 2026.

STORYLINES/OTHER BLUE DEVIL NOTES

The No. 3 ranking for Duke marks the fourth time in the last five seasons the Blue Devils have been a preseason top-five team and the 10th time in school history.
Duke will face former Blue Devil standout Jane Alukonis in the season opener as she is Southern California's head coach.
Over the past five years, Duke owns a record of 16-2 in the month of August.
Duke is opening the season against a Big Ten opponent for the second year in a row. The Blue Devils defeated 11th-ranked Penn State a year ago in Durham, 3-2.
Cameron Roller has started 53 matches in a row as a Blue Devil.
The United Soccer Coaches released its preseason watch lists with four Blue Devils earning honors -- Sam Courtwright (Midfielder to Watch), Cameron Roller (Defender to Watch), Katie Shea Collins (Forward to Watch) and Mia Minestrella (Forward to Watch).
The Blue Devils boast 91 career goals scored on the 2026 team entering the season. Mia Minestrella (30) and Katie Shea Collins (23) have scored 53 of those goals.
Duke features four players who have been named an All-America during their collegiate careers -- Mia Minestrella (2025), Katie Shea Collins (2025), Cameron Roller (2024) and Sam Courtwright (2023).
Last year, Kieran Hall became just the third Division I women's soccer coach in NCAA history to take a team to the NCAA College Cup in their first year as a head coach -- Damon Nahas of UNC in 2024 and Marguerie Bates (Aozasa) of UCLA in 2022.
Over the last two years, Duke has sent eight alumnae to the NWSL -- Hannah Bebar (Bay FC), Leah Freeman (San Diego Wave FC), Maggie Graham (Houston Dash), Ella Hase (Racing Louisville FC), Mary Long (Kansas City Current), Carina Lageyre (Angel City FC), Kat Rader (Houston Dash) and Devin Lynch (Denver Summit).

THE SERIES WITH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Duke and Southern California will meet for the fifth time in program history with the series tied, 2-2.
USC won the last meeting, 3-1, in Durham Aug. 24, 2023.
In matches played in Los Angeles, Duke holds a 1-0 ledger. The win came on Aug. 31, 2012 as the fourth-ranked Blue Devils totaled a 2-1 victory.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Southern California is coming off posting a 7-7-3 record a season ago under the direction of Duke graduate Jane Alukonis.

AGAINST THE BIG TEN

Duke owns a record of 37-24-7 all-time against Big Ten opponents -- Illinois (0-1), Indiana (1-0), Maryland (15-12-6), Michigan State (1-0), Minnesota (1-0), Nebraska (3-3), Northwestern (2-0), Ohio State (6-2), Penn State (2-4-1), Rutgers (4-1) and Wisconsin (2-1).
Duke went 3-0 against the Big Ten in 2025 with wins over Penn State, Northwestern and Washington by a combined 9-2 score.

Duke FACES DUKE ALUMNA JANE ALUKONIS

The Blue Devils will face former Duke student-athlete and coach Jane Alukonis Wednesday in the match against Southern California. She is a 2010 Duke graduate.
Alukonis is in her fifth season as the head coach at USC.
Over four seasons at Duke, Alukonis appeared in 84 matches and made 76 starts, while notching five goals and 11 assists for 21 points.
She helped lead Duke to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a pair of quarterfinal finishes.
In 2015 and 2016, Alukonis returned to Duke as the director of operations, before moving on to UCLA as an assistant coach.

HEY, I KNOW YOU

Duke's Bianca Dominguez, Kaylee Kim, Jocelyn Travers and Elle Piper played club ball with Savannah Leifred of USC at FC Bay Area Surf. Travers also played with Jaiden Rodriguez and Edra Bello at U.S. Soccer camps. Travers and Alison Hou teamed together on ECNL, PDP and ODP camps as well.
Kaylee Kim used to play club soccer together with USC's Ally Griswold at MVLA.
Lexi Coughlin played with USC's Jaiden Rodriguez, Edra Bello and Alison Hou at different U.S. Soccer camps.
Caroline Dysart played with USC's Alyssa Gonzalez, Jaiden Rodriguez and Edra Bello at San Diego Surf club.
Avery Oder competed with USC's Jaiden Rodriguez and Edra Bello at U.S. Soccer camps, while also teaming with Charlotte Ward at LAFC So Cal club team.
Sofia Nuñez played with USC's Josie Biehl at Bay Area Surf club team. She also trained with Jaiden Rodriguez and competed with Alyssa Gonzalez at TST in the summer of 2026.
Daya King played with USC's Jaiden Rodriguez in the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the U.S. squad. King also played with Edra Bellow at U.S. Soccer camps and traveled on the Capelli Sport International Tour with Alison Hou.

DUKE BRINGS 11 HOME TO CALIFORNIA

When the Blue Devils head to California to open the 2026 season, Duke will bring 11 student-athletes back to their home state -- Daya King (Moreno Valley - 1 hour away), Jocelyn Travers (Santa Cruz - 6-7 hours away), Elle Piper (San Jose - 5-6 hours away), Avery Oder (Calabasas - 34 minutes away), Mia Minestrella (Redondo Beach - 30 minutes away), Sofia Nuñez (Bonita - 3 hours away), Lexi Coughlin (Corona - 48 minutes away), Madison Foxhoven (Calabasas - 34 minutes away), Bianca Dominguez (San Francisco), Kaylee Kim (Belmont - 6 hours away) and Caroline Dysart (San Diego - 2 hours away).
Distance from Los Angeles for each hometown listed above.

A WIN WOULD...

Move Duke to 33-5-1 all-time in season openers.
Give the Blue Devils 10 wins over the last 12 season openers.
Improve Duke to 3-2 all-time against Southern California.

SEASON OPENERS

Duke holds a 32-5-1 all-time in season openers.
Duke has opened the season against a ranked opponent nine times since 1996, holding a 6-3 ledger.
From 1988 to 2003, Duke held a 15-1 record in season openers.
The Blue Devils have scored two or more goals in 24 of the 38 season openers.
Duke has won nine out of the last 11 season openers.
Over the last 12 years, Duke has opened the season on the road eight times and the Blue Devils have a ledger of 5-3 in those contests.
The Blue Devils have opened with two straight true road contests seven times in program history -- 2024, 2013, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1993 and 1992.

DUKE'S TRANSFER DUO RANKED THIRD NATIONALLY

Duke added a pair of transfers -- Katie Shea Collins (South Carolina) and Sam Courtwright (Texas Tech) in the offseason. The duo were ranked as the No. 3 transfer portal class by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
In two seasons at South Carolina, Collins totaled 23 goals and eight assists for 54 points in 38 matches. She was a Third Team All-America selection as a sophomore.
Courtwright totaled nine goals and 15 assists for 33 points in two years at Texas Tech. She started all 53 matches and was a Third Team All-America in 2023.

DUKE RETURNS GOAL SCORERS

As a team, Duke enters the 2026 season with 91 career goals across its roster -- Mia Minestrella (30), Katie Shea Collins (23), Mia Oliaro (11), Sam Courtwright (9), Avery Oder (6), Cameron Roller (4), Sophia Recupero (4), Jocelyn Travers (1), Elle Piper (1), Phoebe Goldthwaite (1) and Lauren Martinho (1).

GOALS LAST TWO YEARS

After scoring 68 goals in 2024 and 55 goals in 2025, the Blue Devils have amassed 123 goals over the last two years.
Duke ranks third nationally in tallies over the last two seasons -- Stanford (131), Florida State (127), Duke (123), Xavier (122), Notre Dame (115), UNC (115), TCU (108), Arkansas (105) and Milwaukee (104).

WINS LIST

Over the last two seasons, Duke has collected 35 victories -- 17 in 2025 and 18 in 2024. The 35 wins ranks tied for second in the ACC and tied for second nationally.
Stanford leads the list with 37 wins, while Duke (35), North Carolina (35), Florida State (31) and Notre Dame (29) are in the top five in the ACC.
In looking at the national rankings, the top five list includes Stanford (37), Duke (35), North Carolina (35), TCU (35) and Fairfield (33) are in the top five.

MOVING UP RECORD CHARTS

Duke senior Mia Minestrella currently ranks No. 9 on Duke's all-time goals scored list with 30 goals. She needs one more to move into a tie for eighth along with Michelle Cooper (31).
Mia Oliaro enters the 2026 season with 25 assists, which ranks No. 6 all-time on Duke's record books. She needs four more to move into a tie for fifth.

DUKE ALL-TIME GOALS SCORED
1.           Kelly Walbert, 1992-95                 47
2.           Casey McCluskey, 2001-04           40
3.           Laura Weinberg, 2010-13             39
4.           Kayla McCoy, 2015-18                   38
5.           Sherrill Kester, 1996-99                35
6.           KayAnne Gummersall, 2006-09   34
7.           Kat Rader, 2022-25                        32
8.           Michelle Cooper, 2021-22            31
9.           Mia Minestrella, 2023-present 30

DUKE ALL-TIME assists
1.           Andi Melde, 1994-97                    42
2.           Elisabeth Redmond, 2006-09      35
3.           Ella Stevens, 2016-19                    34
4.           Mollie Pathman, 2010-13             29
              Mackenzie Pluck, 2018-22           29
6.           Mia Oliaro, 2024-present            25

DUKE DUO AMONG TOP RETURNING SCORERS

Over the last two years, Duke forwards Mia Minestrella (30) and Katie Shea Collins (23) have been two of the top scorers nationally.
The most goals scored over the last two years is 40 by Faith Webber of Utah Valley with Izzy Engle of Notre Dame (38), Erika Zschuppe of FGCU (33), Kate Faasse of North Carolina (31), Seven Castain of TCU (30), Minestrella of Duke (30) in the top six. Collins ranks tied for 16th with 23 goals.

COURTWRIGHT NAMED TO MIDFIELDERS LIST

Duke redshirt junior midfielder Sam Courtwright has been selected to the United Soccer Coaches Midfielders to Watch List.
A 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-American and 2025 First Team All-Midwest Region honoree, Courtwright has established herself as one of the top midfielders in collegiate soccer over the last three years. She collected nine goals, 15 assists and 33 points over 43 matches at Texas Tech before transferring to Durham in the spring.

CLEAN SHEETS

Duke has totaled 24 shutouts over the last two years to rank tied for seventh nationally.
UCLA (28) leads the nation followed by Georgetown (27), Dayton (26), Montana (26), Saint Louis (25), Lipscomb (25), Duke (24), Utah State (24) and Mississippi State (24). The Blue Devils' 24 shutouts lead the ACC.

ROLLER SELECTED TO DEFENDERS LIST

Duke's Cameron Roller, one of the top center backs in NCAA women's soccer, has been named to the United Soccer Coaches Defenders to Watch List.
Since stepping foot on campus, Roller has been a mainstay in the Duke lineup and a leader in the back for the Blue Devils. It marks the second year in a row Roller has been selected to the Defenders to Watch List.
Roller, a 2024 All-America selection, has started 53 matches in a row heading into her senior campaign. Overall, she has started 55-of-58 matches to go along with four goals and nine assists for 17 points. Roller has helped lead Duke to 29 shutouts in 58 contests.

MINESTRELLA, COLLINS NAMED TO FORWARDS LIST

The United Soccer Coaches released the preseason Forwards to Watch List with the Duke tandem of Katie Shea Collins and Mia Minestrella listed.
Two of the top scorers over the last two years, Collins and Minestrella have combined to tally 53 goals during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
A native of Redondo Beach, California, Minestrella has collected 30 goals, 12 assists and 72 points over the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. She is coming off a season in which she notched 18 goals, five assists and 41 points in 2025. Minestrella earned United Soccer Coaches All-America honors and was a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America selection in 2025.
After scoring 23 goals, notching eight assists and recording 54 points over the last two years at South Carolina, Collins joined the Blue Devils in December. Collins, who hails from Gallatin, Tennessee, was a 2025 United Soccer Coaches All-American and All-SEC First Team honoree. She is coming off a season in which she started all 19 matches, notched 10 goals, five assists and 25 points.

ROLLER, MINESTRELLA EARN PRESEASON ACC HONORS

For the second year in a row, the Duke women's soccer tandem of Mia Minestrella and Cameron Roller has been named to the preseason All-ACC Women's Soccer Team.
The Blue Devils received 224 points, including three first-place votes, and were voted No. 3 in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll. Notre Dame (239) earned the top slot, while Stanford (233), Duke (224), Florida State (213), North Carolina (207), Virginia (191), Wake Forest (167), Clemson (148), Louisville (125), California (120), NC State (99), Virginia Tech (77), Pitt (75), SMU (70), Boston College (61), Miami (44) and Syracuse (19) rounded out the poll.

DUKE RANKED NO. 3 IN PRESEASON POLL

For the 10th time in the last 12 years, Duke has been preseason ranked in the top 10 nationally as the United Soccer Coaches released its preseason Top 25 poll with the Blue Devils ranked No. 3 overall.
The No. 3 ranking marks the fourth time in the last five seasons Duke has been a preseason top-five team and the 10th time in school history.
Stanford received 191 points and was ranked No. 1, while Notre Dame (189), Duke (183), Florida State (170), Vanderbilt (166), TCU (162), Michigan State (159), North Carolina (142), UCLA (122) and Arkansas (120) rounded out the top 10.