You will find one on just about every great team in sports.
The tough, gritty emotional leader that finds a way to win. The sparkplug that does all the little things that build championship programs. The player any coach would love to have.
The 1986 Mets had Lenny "Nails" Dykstra, last year's men's basketball team had Wojo and for the past two years, the women's lacrosse team has had Kate "Ruthy" Soulier.
This season, Soulier's play has helped the Blue Devils jump out to their best start ever on their way to a 8-1 record and a No. 2 ranking. Soulier, a sophomore, attributes a lot of her success to a maturity that she has developed since last year.
"[This year], I feel that what helps me is that I stay really level-headed out there," Soulier said. "If anything, it is a calming effect on the team. I am not afraid to step up and lead by example and not just by words. I think that sets me apart."
Just in the past week, the speedy midfielder has stepped up and scored at critical moments in a couple of tight games against UNC and William and Mary.
Against North Carolina last Wednesday, Soulier was placed in an unenviable position. With 18:45 remaining and the Blue Devils clinging to a tenuous 6-5 lead, Duke lost leading scorer Tricia Martin for the remainder of the game after she picked up her second yellow card of the evening.
Displaying maturity beyond her years, a vocal Soulier urged her teammates not to give up. Then, as if her words were not convincing enough, Soulier showed her teammates that they could win.
"I've never felt like an underclassman," Soulier said of her leadership role. "I have just always felt like a team player that has had something to say."
Recognizing her team's need for a boost of confidence, Soulier muscled her way through a crowd of Carolina defenders and fired a shot into the back of the net giving the Blue Devils a more-comfortable 7-5 cushion.
Despite the crucial goal, the Tar Heels rallied again to even the score up at seven, and Soulier once again answered the call.
After receiving the ball on the left side, she eluded her defender and rocketed the winning shot past UNC goalie Debbie Castine with just 2:47 to go.
Duke won the game 8-7, giving it an unprecedented victory over archrival North Carolina. Four days later Soulier scored two more goals that kept the Blue Devils in control of the game as Duke defeated William and Mary-another first for the young program.
After Soulier's freshman year in which coach Kirsten Kimel's Blue Devils exceeded everyone's expectations, Soulier should be used to setting new standards.
Last season, a young Duke squad surprised nearly everyone in the lacrosse world by beating eventual national champion Maryland early in the season.
Many felt that the victory was a sign that the Blue Devils had arrived on the national scene. Later in the year, Duke continued its progression and earned its first NCAA tournament bid.
But Soulier would have it no other way. This is why she chose Duke-to be part of something that had never happened before.
"That was definitely the selling point for me," said Soulier. "Coach Kimel told me, '[You can] come here and be a part of something special or [you can] go to a Maryland school and just be part of another winning team.'
"I wanted to be a part of something, but I honestly didn't think it would be this soon."
Two years ago, when Kimel recruited the two-time All-American from Unionville High School in Pennsylvania, it was obvious that Soulier was unique.
"The first time I saw Kate play, she stuck out like a sore thumb," Kimel said. "She was very mature. She had definite priorities in her life. I said to myself, 'This kid knows what she wants.'"
A natural athlete, Soulier excelled at lacrosse through junior high and high school, but also competed at the varsity level in field hockey and basketball. According to Soulier, it was mainly her strong work ethic that helped her to develop into the player that she is today.
"On the weekends I would do extra running," she said. "During the season, I always had a stick in my hand. I would always use [the weekends] as my extra time to focus on lacrosse."
Soulier's father Mike was a helpful role model for her as well. He ran track on the collegiate level for the University of Utah and Soulier gives him a lot of credit for encouraging her to pursue sports beyond high school.
"[My dad] has always reminded me to enjoy every day," Soulier said. "He was the only one to encourage me to do college sports. It definitely pushed me to try it out and go for it."
On the field, this 'go get em' attitude that Soulier displays immediately got the attention of her coaches. At the end of last season, she received the team's Blue Collar Award for her hustle and scrappy style of play.
"I am a very vocal player. I love just screaming and yelling and getting in people's faces," Soulier said with a grin. "So if that is what the team needs, that is what I am there for."
With this in-your-face, determined attitude, Soulier wants to keep helping her team reach new heights and be part of something that has never been done before at Duke-like winning a national championship.
And like all great competitors, she wants it now.
"That is definitely the goal," Soulier said. "I would love to win a national championship [this year] for my coaches and the seniors. I think that this is our year."
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