After making two straight Elite Eight appearances in 2007 and 2008, Duke bowed out in the first round last year. Head coach Robbie Church and the rest of the squad hope they have found the recipe to return to their winning ways.
Church has assembled one of the premier recruiting classes in the nation for 2010, with five of the nine incoming players ranked in the top-100 by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
The Class of 2014 will provide Duke with a slew of versatile athletes across the field, something that Church covets in the recruiting process.
“We like versatile players, players that can play multiple positions,” Church said. “We’re not scared to play a player as a back for half a game, and then as a forward for the second half.”
Perhaps most importantly, the Blue Devils welcome a pair of superlative strikers to help fill the gaps in attack left by departing seniors. This fall, Duke will be without two of the most prolific offensive players to ever play at Koskinen in Elisabeth Redmond and KayAnne Gummersall. Redmond finished her career with the second most assists in school history while Gummersall scored 34 goals to finish fourth on Duke’s all-time chart. With a combined career-total of 252 high school goals, however, Laura Weinberg and Mollie Pathman could provide the scoring that the Blue Devils desperately need.
Weinberg, a native of Boca Raton, Fla., has consistently torched defenses in her young career. Named the Gatorade player of the year in Florida as a junior, Weinberg gives the Blue Devils a boost in attack, an area where Duke regularly failed to capitalize on chances in 2009. While the Blue Devils often outshot opponents, Duke forwards made a habit of leaving goals on the field. For all her hype, though, Weinberg stays humble.
“I’m just going to try to keep my head on straight, be motivated, work hard…and try to earn a spot on the team,” Weinberg said.
She will have just that opportunity once the preseason kicks off in August, as Church has already made it known that every spot on the field will be open for competition. Weinberg’s elite speed could make her an effective option off the bench, if she can penetrate the physical ACC defenses.
“She’s just an out-and-out goal scorer, and I think she’s going to see plenty of time, plenty of minutes and have a major impact on our program,” Church said.
Though Duke’s nine incoming freshmen come from all over the country, Church didn’t have to look far to find Pathman. A graduate of Durham Academy, Pathman enters Duke as one of the most decorated players in team history. Recently, Pathman was named Gatorade National girls soccer player of the year, following a campaign in which the striker tallied 29 goals and 10 assists in just 13 games.
“She’s got an extra gear,” Church said. “I think people really enjoy watching [Pathman], especially on the attacking side of the ball.”
Pathman should be coming to Duke in peak form, after being selected to train with the Under-23 U.S. Women’s National Team. Though she plays defense for the national team, the experience from competing with the best players in the country will prove invaluable as the grueling ACC season progresses.
Weinberg and Pathman will join the other 27 Blue Devils in just over a month to quickly prepare for the early season matchups. Church won’t have to wait long for his team to be tested, as Duke faces NCAA tournament participant Georgia in its opening game, before contests against Missouri and 2009 national runner-up Stanford.
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