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For the last two seasons, Duke women's soccer has reached the College Cup semifinals.
For the Blue Devils, that isn't enough anymore.
Duke enters the 2026 season with the same expectations – win games, compete for trophies and continue to grow. Now, the Blue Devils are looking for a different end result.
"I would say even just going to the College Cup isn’t enough this year," senior defender and preseason All-ACC selection Cameron Roller said. "We want to win it all, and we know that we can win it all."
Duke returns eight starters from Kieran Hall's first season as head coach, a 17-5-1 campaign, but enters 2026 with a younger roster featuring four freshmen and two transfers. Among the newcomers are freshmen Natalie Chudowsky, Sofia Nuñez, Rylee McLanahan and Yuna Marui, while Katie Shea Collins (South Carolina) and Sam Courtwright (Texas Tech) make up the transfer additions.
Preseason All-ACC selection Mia Minestrella described the group with one word: relentless.
DUKE BASKETBALL: Duke basketball completes 2026-27 nonconference schedule
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"I feel like people are going to see us as underdogs," Minestrella, who has scored 30 goals across the last two seasons, said. "We’re relentless, we’re gritty, we will work for each other through every play and I think that’s something that people don’t really value as much.”
It helps, too, that the Blue Devils' additions all arrived on campus in the spring, giving them extra time to adjust to the program's expectations and mesh with their new teammates.
“(They've adjusted) incredibly well," Hall said. "I think that’s a testament to the people we’ve brought in, because they are like-minded individuals that we already have here. The culture that we have is really warm and welcoming. It’s really challenging and demanding, but it’s warm and welcoming."
The expectations are reflected nationally, too. Duke enters this season ranked No. 3 in the country, just behind ACC foes Stanford and Notre Dame. It's the 10th time in the last 12 years that Duke has opened the season ranked inside the top 10.
“I think for us, we still have something to prove," Minestrella said. "We feel like we still have something to prove. We lost twice in the semifinal, and to us, that’s not good enough. So trying to build from each game to get there, but also once we get there, showing up and showing out and really just pushing for more.”
The Blue Devils open their season at Southern California on Aug. 12, a matchup that will be a homecoming for 11 California natives on the roster. Their home opener at Koskinen Stadium comes against FIU on Aug. 20.
All the while, they will do it 'For Each Other.'
"It’s just something that we want to live by," Roller said. "It's just everything you do, you’re doing it for each other. It comes with work ethic, grit, how we carry ourselves, our standards, expectations of each other. I think that’s something that is really special about our team.”
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Can Duke women's soccer break through in 2026?
Continue reading...
For the Blue Devils, that isn't enough anymore.
Duke enters the 2026 season with the same expectations – win games, compete for trophies and continue to grow. Now, the Blue Devils are looking for a different end result.
"I would say even just going to the College Cup isn’t enough this year," senior defender and preseason All-ACC selection Cameron Roller said. "We want to win it all, and we know that we can win it all."
Duke returns eight starters from Kieran Hall's first season as head coach, a 17-5-1 campaign, but enters 2026 with a younger roster featuring four freshmen and two transfers. Among the newcomers are freshmen Natalie Chudowsky, Sofia Nuñez, Rylee McLanahan and Yuna Marui, while Katie Shea Collins (South Carolina) and Sam Courtwright (Texas Tech) make up the transfer additions.
Preseason All-ACC selection Mia Minestrella described the group with one word: relentless.
DUKE BASKETBALL: Duke basketball completes 2026-27 nonconference schedule
DUKE FOOTBALL: How Manny Diaz is evaluating Duke football's quarterback competition
"I feel like people are going to see us as underdogs," Minestrella, who has scored 30 goals across the last two seasons, said. "We’re relentless, we’re gritty, we will work for each other through every play and I think that’s something that people don’t really value as much.”
It helps, too, that the Blue Devils' additions all arrived on campus in the spring, giving them extra time to adjust to the program's expectations and mesh with their new teammates.
“(They've adjusted) incredibly well," Hall said. "I think that’s a testament to the people we’ve brought in, because they are like-minded individuals that we already have here. The culture that we have is really warm and welcoming. It’s really challenging and demanding, but it’s warm and welcoming."
The expectations are reflected nationally, too. Duke enters this season ranked No. 3 in the country, just behind ACC foes Stanford and Notre Dame. It's the 10th time in the last 12 years that Duke has opened the season ranked inside the top 10.
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“I think for us, we still have something to prove," Minestrella said. "We feel like we still have something to prove. We lost twice in the semifinal, and to us, that’s not good enough. So trying to build from each game to get there, but also once we get there, showing up and showing out and really just pushing for more.”
The Blue Devils open their season at Southern California on Aug. 12, a matchup that will be a homecoming for 11 California natives on the roster. Their home opener at Koskinen Stadium comes against FIU on Aug. 20.
All the while, they will do it 'For Each Other.'
"It’s just something that we want to live by," Roller said. "It's just everything you do, you’re doing it for each other. It comes with work ethic, grit, how we carry ourselves, our standards, expectations of each other. I think that’s something that is really special about our team.”
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Can Duke women's soccer break through in 2026?
Continue reading...
