No. 22 Duke women's soccer returns home Sunday for the next storied chapter in the Tobacco Road rivalry against No. 1 North Carolina. The Blue Zone breaks down the key players for each team before kickoff:
Duke: Kat Rader
For the Blue Devils to take down their ACC rival and the top-ranked women’s soccer team in the country, they need to match the Tar Heels high-powered offense.
North Carolina has scored 28 goals this season, tied for third best in the conference. Although they have yet to suffer a defeat, the Tar Heels have struggled the most against teams that can match their offensive prowess. For Duke to light this goalscoring spark, they need to rely heavily on sophomore forward Kat Rader.
In her two seasons at Duke, the Stuart, Fla., native has quickly become the focal point of the Blue Devil offense. She led all the conference freshmen in goals and tied for second nationally in her first campaign with the team. The 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year has started her sophomore season much as she did in her freshman season — with unmatched athletic ability. Rader currently leads the team in goals, having scored six of Duke’s 13 on the season.
The sophomore will have a challenge in getting past North Carolina’s athletic defenders and its star goalkeeper, Emmie Allen. The High Point, N.C., native has averaged less than one goal allowed in 2023 and has recorded six shutouts, blanking more than half the teams the Tar Heels have faced.
If Rader can get past North Carolina’s defense and score on its keeper, the Blue Devils have everything they need to execute the ultimate upset.
UNC: Ally Sentnor
If the Tar Heels want to continue their unbeaten streak against Duke, North Carolina will need to keep doing what it does best — score goals.
With an effective offense that leaves most of their opponents reeling, the Tar Heels have yet to be outscored by an opponent and have won four games by at least two goals. Once North Carolina lights its offensive fire, it rarely goes out. Redshirt sophomore Ally Sentnor is a key reason for this production.
After suffering a season-ending injury in the first game of her freshman year in 2021, the Hanson, Mass., native came back with a vengeance as a redshirt freshman, making the All-ACC first team. She led her squad with 80 shots on the season and ranked second in the conference with five game-winning goals. In 2023, Sentnor has scored a goal in three of the last four games for the Tar Heels, leading the team with five goals overall.
If the redshirt sophomore continues this goalscoring trend, Blue Devil goalkeeper Leah Freeman and the Duke defenders will have a severe problem on their hands, and North Carolina will be difficult to stop.
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