How a rare UNC-to-Duke women’s soccer transfer helped elevate the Blue Devils to No. 1

At the heart of top-seed Duke women’s soccer’s ascent to the NCAA tournament is, improbably, a Tar Heel.

Sophomore midfielder Mia Oliaro, a transfer from rival North Carolina, has become essential to Duke’s success. Since joining the Blue Devils in January, her fearless, versatile play has elevated Duke’s offense after a disappointing season that saw the Blue Devils miss the postseason.

Oliaro, who leads the team with 12 assists and is third on the team in points (25), has started every game and earned second-team All-ACC honors. In her first season at Duke — and head coach Robbie Church’s last — Oliaro has infused the team with fresh energy and creativity, helping drive an unprecedented season as Duke (15-2-1) aims for its first national championship.

“The variety of things she can do on the ball … you’re gonna get in the box and she might get a cross off, but you never know if she’s going to cut back and hit a banger,” graduate midfielder Maggie Graham said. “She has great variety and such ability. She’s brought so much to that wingback role.”

Soccer adds clarity

Originally from Chapel Hill, Oliaro’s sports journey was at first unclear. Her athleticism from a young age was undeniable, but it was a matter of where she’d apply it — basketball, swimming, lacrosse or soccer.

The latter captured her attention the most.

“She always enjoyed kicking the ball around, having the ball at her foot, running and playing,” her father, Scott Oliaro, said. “It was something she just had fun with.”

Oliaro’s athleticism and drive led her to play on Triangle United under Duke assistant coach and Olympic gold medalist Carla Overbeck around middle school. She played two age groups up — hinting at her potential.

“She was quick, she was fast,” Overbeck said. “You could see a mentality in her even at a very young age. She was really good. A young player playing on a team with girls three years older than she was and she wasn’t afraid.”

To UNC, and then Duke

While Overbeck, Church and the coaching staff recruited Oliaro relentlessly out of high school, they faced an uphill battle. UNC was the natural choice for the Chapel Hill native — she was born on North Carolina’s campus and grew up around numerous teams her father, Scott, tended to as an athletic trainer for the school.

But Oliaro’s first year as a Tar Heel didn’t align with her goals. After her freshman season ended, she was left with “a lot to think about.”

“I realized that unfortunately UNC just wasn’t the right fit for me,” she said.

Recognizing her need for a different environment, Oliaro entered the transfer portal.

Duke was quick to reach out.

“Oh, we were very, very excited,” Overbeck said with a grin. “Obviously, upset that we missed out on her the first time around but … we jumped at that chance right away.”

Church said that despite Oliaro’s ties to Chapel Hill, he’d always seen her as “a Duke kid.”

The Duke coach’s hunch, as it turns out, was right.

Oliaro up to speed quickly

Once in Durham, Oliaro immediately earned her teammates’ respect. In the Blue Devils’ first spring training session, the team ran the beep test — a shuttle run exercise that measures a player’s aerobic fitness.

“She was one the top, if not the top, scorer of the beep test,” Overbeck said. “And so I knew right away she wanted to prove something to us. She wanted us to realize her mentality, she wanted to fit in, belong and hopefully make our team better.”

This season, Oliaro has excelled as a wingback, a position that aligns perfectly with her skills and Duke’s playing style. Known for her speed, technical skill and soccer IQ, Oliaro has a knack for finding space and delivering well-timed passes that set up scoring opportunities. With 62 goals spread across 14 different players this season, the Blue Devils have achieved remarkable offensive balance, and Oliaro has been central to facilitating that spread.

Perhaps no better moment exemplifies this than Oliaro’s assist in her return to UNC’s Dorrance Field this fall. In the Blue Devils’ 3-2 win over their rivals on Oct. 31, Oliaro extended her streak to nine consecutive games with a goal or assist — a record-tying achievement at Duke.

The sophomore delivered a perfect cross from the right side to Graham for a header that put the Blue Devils ahead 3-1 with just 20 minutes left in the game.

“That’s the thing about Mia that I’ve been so impressed with,” Church said after the win. “She serves the ball but she knows where it’s going. Most people just kind of throw it in the box and hope and pray it hits one of their players. But she can pick out a front post runner, she can pick out a person in the middle of the goal, and she can [send] that ball to the back post.”

Confidence and joy

Off the field, Oliaro is equally selfless and speaks with humility about her contributions. She gives credit to the team’s culture and the close relationships she has developed at Duke.

“We trust one other to bring our unique qualities (and) it just feeds into the confidence that we play with,” Oliaro said.

This opportunity to play freely, experiment and develop as a player has been an “unbelievable experience,” said her mother, Jeri Oliaro. Scott Oliaro said he sees his daughter playing with more confidence and joy.

Oliaro has aspirations to play on the U.S. Women’s National Team — a dream Overbeck believes is within her reach — but her immediate focus is on the NCAA Tournament.

When thinking about the novelty of this rivalry transfer — of this new weapon the Blue Devils now have entering this postseason — Church can’t help but smile.

“It’s the craziness of college athletics … but Mia has brought a lot to us, for sure.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2024 at 5:00 AM.