A rise to the top: Inside Duke women’s soccer’s remarkable run to No. 1 in the NCAA

It took Duke women’s soccer’s high-powered offense until the 29th minute to crack No. 8 North Carolina’s defense Thursday night. But this season — Duke’s third undefeated ACC season in program history — has been all about waiting for the right moment.

After her team launched three shots in the opening eight minutes, graduate student Hannah Bebar found hers. About 30 yards out, facing tight defense from UNC’s Bella Sember, Bebar hesitated, shifted left and sent a left-footed shot curling inside the right post. Her goal gave Duke the edge, and set the tone for a thrilling 3-2 victory.

The win gave Duke a regular-season sweep over its rival — for the first time in program history.

For head coach Robbie Church, who will retire at the season’s end, this triumph marks one more milestone in a season shaped by redemption, grit and a powerful shift in mentality. After missing the postseason entirely last year, top-ranked Duke has roared back with an ACC regular-season title, a 14-1-1 record and a collective confidence that, as senior captain Maggie Graham explained, lets them believe they can beat any team they face.

And if Thursday is any indication, with a second win against a historic powerhouse in North Carolina, this is Duke’s moment.

“It’s amazing,” said Graham, who scored the match’s third and eventual game-winning goal. “Having the Duke-UNC rivalry been what it’s been, at least the five years I’ve been here, it’s always been a little bit one-sided.

So for this year to be on our side and in our favor, I think has been amazing and is just a testament to how hard our team’s been working and how good we’ve become.”

For Duke, this season has been transformative.

Last year’s campaign ended with a disappointing 6-7-3 record, breaking a streak of three straight quarterfinal appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The team struggled offensively, recording just 15 goals on the season.

“When we scored a goal, we couldn’t get a second goal behind it,” Church told The Raleigh News & Observer on Wednesday. “It was a frustrating year. It wasn’t like ‘Oh we quit playing.’ No. We trained really hard… we just didn’t score goals.”

The frustration of last season quickly became a turning point. A week after Duke’s final game on Oct. 26, 2023, with the NCAA and conference tournament out of the question, the team returned to the pitch and trained through November and early December.

“That can go one of two ways…everybody can just be mad, tired of each other, not wanting to see each other, and [it can] just turn out negative,” he said. “But the players worked hard. The coaches worked hard. Nobody’s out there screaming, yelling.

“Everybody was like, ‘We’ve got to be better.’ This is unacceptable in our program — not to make the NCAA Tournament and not to make the ACC Tournament.’”

During spring training — which Church said was one of the best offseasons of his 24 years at Duke — the head coach saw renewed dedication in his players. The staff analyzed every part of the program for ways to improve and implemented new initiatives focused on player development.

The Blue Devils held Wednesday meetings where players read and discussed principles from a leadership manual. Graham said these sessions encouraged the players to focus on “controlling the controllables.”

“It was also an opportunity for us to give each other shout-outs of things players were good at and I think that built a lot of confidence in individuals,” Graham said.

In training, Duke focused on its off-the-ball positioning and “non-negotiables” like counter-pressing and a relentless commitment to defending. According to Graham, the emphasis on these areas has meant that, come game time, those essential pieces are “always there.”

That renewed purpose carried into the fall. Graham was joined by transfers like Bebar, Mia Oliaro, Ella Hase and Farrah Walters, who have emerged as key figures on offense. Those five have combined for 26 goals and 32 assists for 84 points — nearly half of the team’s offense.

Meanwhile, defensive captains Katie Groff and Nicky Chico have strengthened the back line, limiting opponents to eleven goals this season, a major improvement from last year’s 20.

“I don’t know that I’ve been on a team that’s felt as close and connected as this team is,” Groff said. “Everyone just feels on the same page… I think we’ve really made this culture about ourselves that is contributing to a lot of our success.”

As Duke prepares for the ACC semifinals (the team received a quarterfinal bye), Church and his Blue Devils have already made history, but are far from satisfied.

“They’re not happy with just an ACC regular season trophy… we want to win the ACC Tournament coming up next week,” Church said. “We want to win the NCAA Tournament.

“This group wants more.”

For Church, who will retire at season’s end, the team is trending toward a perfect final chapter — capturing the national title that’s eluded him during his storied career.

There may be no better moment than now.

“I think as much as we might say, ‘It’s not for [Church], it’s for us, it’s for the team, it’s for Duke — he is Duke,” Graham said. ”He is the team… I think a lot of us feel that extra chip on our shoulder that we want to make it extra special for him.”