College soccer is seeing a new wave of innovative coaches, with Duke head coach Kieran Hall among its leading figures. Hall could become the third first-year head coach to win the College Cup (Margueritte Aozasa in 2022 & Damon Nahas in 2024). The bar was set impossibly high after the ACC side reached the College Cup last season, yet Hall has the group achieving back-to-back final four appearances for the first time in program history.

To start with, the England native kept the core of the team together after serving as the Associate Head Coach for the previous five years. That comfort and tactical understanding within the group created a seamless transition where, although under a new coach, Duke looked like a seasoned group to start the year. Even when there was a mid-season dip in form, the team continued to play the type of high-level soccer that usually translates to dominance on the scoresheet. 

This resilience has all led to this point, where Devin Lynch, Cameron Roller, Mia Minestrella, Mia Oliaro, and Carina Lageyre, who all played in last season’s College Cup semi-final loss, are joined by several high-performing freshmen such as Avery Oder, Daya King, and Jocelyn Traver, on a quest for redemption. And who better to go to battle with than a first-year head coach who has proven to be tactically brilliant.

Ten Key Moments:

07/29/2025 - Duke has its first practice of the season, officially beginning the Kieran Hall era.

08/14/2025 - Duke kicks off the season with a 3-2 victory over Penn State. It is also the first of five straight wins to begin the year.

10/02/2025 - After a mid season slip of just one win from five, Duke defeats Pittsburgh 5-0 to begin a run of seven consecutive wins.

10/09/2025 - Mia Minestrella comes in at No. 10 in the TDS Midseason Player Rankings. Joining are Kat Rader at No. 31 and Cameron Roller at No. 52

10/10/2025 - Avery Oder comes in at No. 9 in the TDS Midseason Freshman Rankings. Joining are Lexi Coughlin at No. 17 and Daya King at No. 27

10/12/2025 - Duke defeats defending national champion and arch rival North Carolina 3-2, a result that builds confidence for a strong close to the year.

11/05/2025 - The ACC All-Conference recipients are recognized with Mia Minestrella, Kat Rader, Carina Lageyre, Cameron Roller, Daya King, and Avery Oder all making the list.

11/06/2025 - Duke drops a narrow result to Notre Dame in the ACC semi-final.

11/14/2025 - Minestrella scores a hat trick to fuel a 7-0 NCAA tournament first round victory over Grambling State. It marks the second straight year the California native has started the tournament with at least three goals.

11/28/2025 - The Dukies defeat Washington 3-0 to secure back-to-back College Cup appearances for the first time in program history. 

Ten Key Statistics:

• Duke is the only team yet to concede this post season.

• Five starters from last year’s College Cup semi final loss are still on the roster (Devin Lynch, Cameron Roller, Mia Minestrella, Mia Oliaro, Carina Lageyre)

• Minestrella leads the team with 18 goals, the most a Duke player has scored in a single season since Michelle Cooper in 2022. 

• Caroline Dysart ranks 5th in the country with 11 shutouts.

• Minestrella (41), Rader (36), Lynch (19), Oder (16), Oliaro (16), Julia Saunicheva (11), all have double-digit points.

• Roller leads the team with 1906 minutes played.

• Duke has never won the College Cup, losing finals in 1992, 2011, and 2015.

• Rader and Oliaro are tied for the team lead with 12 assists.

• 12 different players have scored a goal.

• Joins Stanford as the only returning College Cup team.

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