Bradley, Lester and Rape Named 2010 Captains

4/15/2010 2:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – Blue Devil seniors Kendall Bradley and Molly Lester and junior Ashley Rape have been selected captains for the 2010 season by a vote of the women's soccer team.

“We're excited to have these young ladies be elected captains by their peers,” said Head Coach Robbie Church. “They all bring something different to the table, which I think will be very important for us.”

The trio has led Duke to 23 victories including eight in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), as well as two appearances in the NCAA Tournament in the past two seasons.

Bradley, who is from Durham, N.C., saw action in 20-of-21 contests as a junior and recorded one goal. In her career, Bradley has totaled two goals and three assists for seven points. Last season, she earned ESPN The Magazine Academic District III Honors for the second time in her career, in addition to being named to the All-ACC Academic Team.

A native of Atlanta, Ga., Lester will be returning from an injury that kept her out of the lineup during the 2009 season. As a sophomore, Lester made 12 appearances in a Blue Devil uniform, totaling 270 minutes. She was part of a defensive unit that tallied a season record-tying 13 shutouts on the season. Lester is also a two-time All-ACC Honor Roll selection.

Rape, a junior from Dallas, Texas, missed the 2009 season with a torn ACL. Rape was a starter as a freshman, leading the defense to eight shutouts in 15 matches before being injured. She scored the game-winning goal against Maryland on Oct. 12, 2008. A highly touted recruit, Rape was tabbed for numerous accolades her freshman season, including Soccer Buzz First Team Freshman All-America, All-Freshman Southeast Region and National Freshman of the Year finalist honors.

In 2009, Duke tallied a record of 8-9-4, including a ledger of 4-4-2 in ACC play, and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The 2010 squad will be without graduating seniors Elisabeth Redmond, KayAnne Gummersall, Sara Murphy and Jane Alukonis, but will return seven of 11 starters and 16 total letterwinners. The Blue Devils return experience on the defensive line in Erin Koballa, Gretchen Miller, Maddy Haller, Libby Jandl and goalkeeper Tara Campbell. Other returning starters include forward Cody Newman and midfielder Nicole Lipp.

The team will also welcome a highly-rated recruiting class, including Natasha Anasi of Arlington, Texas, Gilda Doria of West Palm Beach, Fla., Kaitlyn Kerr of Bensalem, Pa., Mollie Pathman of Durham, N.C., Avery Rape of Dallas, Texas, Alex Straton of Oakton, Va., Meghan Thomas of Castle Rock, Colo., Katie Walter of Chapel Hill, N.C., and Laura Weinberg of Boca Raton, Fla.

“We have eight seniors next year, which will also play a major role in the leadership of our team,” Church said. “But we feel with the leadership of the senior group along with our captains, we will be in very, very good hands both on the field and off the field for next year.”

Duke opens its 2010 slate on Aug. 20 at the University of Georgia. The team will host Francis Marion in its home opener on Sept. 2.

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