The independent news organization of Duke University
There aren't many certain things in our uncertain world—but one of them is that a collegiate soccer career usually spans four years. On Monday, Michelle Cooper defied that norm.
Superstar striker Michelle Cooper announced Monday evening that she will forgo her remaining college eligibility to enter the professional soccer ranks.
The Blue Devils’ dream of a national championship was cut short Friday night in overtime with a 3-2 loss to No. 1-seed Alabama in the Elite Eight.
Over the course of 90 minutes, one old adage seemed to ring true for Duke: Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.
In defeating South Carolina 2-1 in the third round of the NCAA tournament, the Blue Devils advanced to the Elite Eight.
The Blue Devils adjusted their tactics to control possession in their attacking half and fire a barrage of shots in the win against the Longhorns.
It took 20 shots for Duke to get on the board against Texas. And now, it has still been more than 20 years since the Longhorns last emerged victorious against the Blue Devils.
In their first-round NCAA tournament contest against the No. 2-seed Blue Devils, the Highlanders tried to shut down Duke's best players, albeit with a more unconventional approach. Radford man-marked the Blue Devils' front five players, which includes the three forwards and two wingbacks, for the entire 90 minutes of Duke's 4-0 victory Saturday evening.
No. 2-seed Duke beat Radford 4-0 at Koskinen Stadium to open the 2022 NCAA tournament, its seventh NCAA win by at least four goals in its last 10 postseasons.
Now entering the NCAA tournament in her sophomore season, Cooper has only continued to shine for Duke and is consistently named among the nation’s top players.
To get back to the College Cup, Duke will have to prove that collegiate soccer still runs through the state of North Carolina.
Among the lively atmosphere Thursday were two high-energy teams displaying a cinematic performance on the field, both sides proving they were worthy of a ticket to the conference championship game.
Even a Blue Devil team that seemed to have been possessed by a higher power for two hours could not overcome the inevitability of North Carolina women’s soccer.
The ACC announced its end-of-season awards Wednesday, and for the second year in a row, Blue Devils have won the highest awards from the nation’s best conference.
By the end of Sunday's match in Charlottesville, Va., the scoreboard showed a 2-1 victory in the Blue Devils’ favor.
No. 11 Duke journeyed to South Bend, Ind., for its last regular season contest. Competing with the fourth-ranked Fighting Irish on the hosting team’s Senior Night, the fight of both teams unequivocally matched the other’s energy.
“Of course we’re lucky to be at Duke, [but] Koskinen over [my] four years has come to mean so much to me,” said senior goalie Ruthie Jones. “And it's been really special. We've had a lot of, really, any kind of emotion on this field, and it means so much that we can sort of end it in such a positive way.”
In a year that has been full of storylines for the Blue Devils—a top-two ranking to begin the season, defeating the team they fell to at the conference tournament last fall, a tough 5-1 loss to Florida State—another came along Thursday night: a tie.
With Duke and Florida State tied for first place in the ACC, the Seminoles took over as the sole leader after a 5-1 victory in Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday evening, ending the Blue Devils’ co-reign of the conference and undefeated status on the road this season.
In a high-stakes conference tilt at Koskinen Stadium, No. 7 Duke displayed a patient approach before receiving a second-half goal from junior defender Olivia Migli to down No. 13 Pittsburgh.