Duke Knocks Off Clemson, 3-2; Earns No. 3 Seed in ACC Tournament

Thursday, October 30

Durham, N.C.

7 p.m.

Duke University

Clemson

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke Knocks Off Clemson, 3-2; Earns No. 3 Seed in ACC Tournament

10/30/2025 10:46:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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DURHAM, N.C. – Duke women's soccer junior Mia Minestrella registered a brace and senior Carina Lageyre collected the game-winner on senior night Thursday at Freeman Field at Koskinen Stadium to help lead the 10th-ranked Blue Devils to a come-from-behind, 3-2, victory over 25th-ranked Clemson to conclude the regular season.

The Blue Devils moved to 12-3-1, 7-3-0 in the ACC and earned the No. 3 seed in the upcoming ACC Championship. Duke will next host Louisville Sunday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m., in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals in Durham. Clemson dropped to 7-5-5, 4-4-2.

How It Happened

The Clemson offense came out on the attack from the beginning attempting four dangerous shots.
The Tigers then connected on the first goal of the match to take a 1-0 lead as Natalie Brooks finished inside the right post at the 12:07 mark.
The goal from Clemson snapped a 262-minute scoreless streak in the first half by Duke opponents.
Duke then evened the ledger, 1-1, on the Blue Devils first shot of the evening at the 21:01 mark as senior Devin Lynch served in a corner kick and junior Mia Minestrella used her body to redirect the ball into the far corner.
The Blue Devils took their first lead, 2-1, of the contest in the 28th minute as freshman Jocelyn Travers served a corner kick into the box and after a loose ball Minestrella punched in her second tally of the night.
At the end of the first half, Clemson held an 8-4 shot advantage.
The Tigers nearly evened the score in the 56th minute as Juju Harris hit the post, but Duke was able to clear.
Duke scored its third goal on another set piece as Lynch sent a great ball towards the back post where junior Cameron Roller played the ball back to senior Carina Lageyre, who one-timed a right-footed shot that hit the crossbar and went into the goal.
Anna Castenfelt registered a goal for Clemson in the 80th minute to cut the Blue Devil lead to 3-2.
The Tigers had a shot in the final few seconds, but it was blocked to preserve the Duke victory.
For the match, Duke held a 17-15 shot advantage and outshot the Tigers, 13-7, in the second half.

Notes

Duke's two goals in the first half were the most in the first half since the VMI match on Sept. 7.
The Blue Devils have scored at least two goals in eight matches in a row.
The first half goal by Clemson was the first goal Duke has allowed in the first 45 minutes of a match since Wake Forest on Sept. 25.
Prior to the match, Duke recognized seven seniors – Taylor Evans, Carina Lageyre, Elle Piper, Devin Lynch, Kat Rader, Julia Saunicheva and Farrah Walters.
Mia Minestrella registered her 11th and 12th goal of the season and 24th over the last two seasons. She has 12 career goals against ACC opponents, including eight this year.
Minestrella totaled her fourth career multi-goal match of her career and second of the season.
Lynch has notched at least a goal or assist in six out of the last seven matches.She totaled a career-high two assists on the night.
Lageyre posted her sixth career goal and second of the season.
Duke now owns 60 assists on the season, which ranks as the fifth-most in program history.
The Blue Devils finished third or better in the ACC for only the seventh time over the last 28 years.Overall, Duke has finished in third or better in the ACC a total of 12 times in 38 seasons.
Head coach Kieran Hall registered the best finish in the ACC regular season out of Duke's two other women's soccer head coaches in their first season as the head coach -- Robbie Church (7th in 2001), Bill Hempen (4th in 1988).
Duke moved to 6-0 in the month of October.
Over the last 12 contests in the month of October, the Blue Devils have totaled an 11-0-1 ledger dating back to last year.

Quotes

"We knew it was going to be a tough game.We knew how good Clemson is and how difficult of a night it would be.It was exactly that.They are a very good team and motivated as well.They are going to be a good team in the NCAA Tournament and surprise some teams.I felt like we were good.There were obstacles in the first half, but in the second half we solved some problems and got a hold of the game.I felt good about how we played from there."-- Duke head coach Kieran Hall

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