When legendary head coach Robbie Church announced his upcoming retirement before the start of the season, the college soccer world celebrated his outstanding 23-year career at Duke and the many accomplishments that came with it. Few, if any, thought a fairy tale ending was possible. After all, the 2023 season saw the team win just six matches, the fewest in program history, missing the NCAA tournament for the second time in two decades. Against all odds, Church and Duke are back in the College Cup for the first time since 2015, looking to win their first-ever national title in what would be the perfect ending.

To build this historic team, Church and the Duke staff relied on a strong returning core of veteran starters and added four elite transfers to address an area of need, putting the ball in the back of the net.

“We brought three great young ladies back in Katie Groff, Nicole Chico, and Maggie Graham. They have been the backbone of our team all year long, both on and off the field . . . Last year, we scored 15 goals, compared to 68 this year. We looked at attacking personalities, someone who would bring us some athleticism, somebody that could play at this level, and we were able to identify some really good players on the portal.”

Those transfers were Ella Hase, Hannah Bebar, Mia Oliaro, and Farrah Walters, four vital additions that have helped form a potent Duke attack. Oliaro and Hase lead the team with 13 assists each, Bebar ranks fourth among all outfield players in minutes, and Walters is one point away from double digits. Together, with Graham, Devin Lynch, and Mia Minestrella, who all have 20 or more points, Duke stormed to their third ACC regular season trophy under Church, winning nine and drawing once.

To sum up the feeling ahead of one final chance at a national championship, Church was full of gratitude. “It is a dream season . . . I have enjoyed every single moment of this year. I enjoy the staff, I enjoy the players, I enjoy everybody here at Duke. It has been one of my favorite seasons to have. In that term, I couldn’t go out on a better note.”

Ten Key Moments:

07/22/2024 - Church announces 2024 will be his final season.

08/05/2024 - Duke puts 9 past Furman in exhibition route, showcasing first sign of unstoppable firepower.

10/09/2024 - Cameron Roller comes in at No. 6 in the TDS Midseason Player Rankings. The other Dukies on the list are No. 51 Hannah Bebar and No. 72 Leah Freeman.

10/10/2024 - Maggie Graham scores a hat trick to hand Stanford first home loss in 34 matches.

10/19/2024 - Duke blows out Boston College 7-0 to win its 12th straight match.

10/31/2024 - Duke hands North Carolina first home loss. Clinch undefeated ACC title and first regular season sweep of North Carolina in history.

11/06/2024 - Six Dukies receive ACC honors. Cameron Roller is named Defensive Player of the Year. Maggie Graham is named Midfielder of the Year. Leah Freeman is named Goalkeeper of the Year. Robbie Church is named Coach of the Year. Hannah Bebar, Ella Hase, and Mia Oliaro land on the second team.

11/08/2024 - ACC Semifinal loss to Duke in third meeting of the season.

11/15/2024 - Mia Minestrella makes history with four first round goals versus Howard.

11/30/2024 - Katie Groff scores lone goal in 1-0 Elite Eight defeat of Virginia Tech.

Ten Key Statistics:

• 3.24 goals per game rank third in the country and best of any College Cup team.

• 12th best defense in the country, and best of any College Cup team.

• Yet to concede in the NCAA tournament.

• Maggie Graham leads with 14 goals.

• 14 different goal scorers.

• Graham (33), Mia Minestrella (31), Mia Oliaro (29), Devin Lynch (24), Ella Hase (19), Cameron Roller (12), Hannah Bebar (11), and Carina Lageyre (10) all have double digit points.

• Roller leads the team with 1775 minutes.

• Ella Hase and Mia Oliaro tied for second in the country with 13 assists.

• Defeated the other three College Cup finalists in the regular season.

• Just one loss in 20 matches since dropping the opening match of the year.