NC State
Duke
Wolfpack to Host #7 Duke in Final Home Game of Regular Season
10/25/2025 12:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State women's soccer (5-7-4, 4-2-2 ACC) concludes its 2025 regular season home slate on Sunday, Oct. 26, hosting No. 7 Duke (10-3-1, 5-3-0 ACC) at Dail Soccer Stadium. The matchup will also serve as the program's annual Pink Night in support of breast cancer awareness. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air nationally on ACC Network.
Postseason Push
With two matches remaining in the regular season, NC State remains in contention for a spot in the six-team ACC Championship, which begins Sunday, Nov. 2. The Wolfpack currently sit in a three-way tie for seventh in the league with 14 points in ACC play.
The Pack can still reach as many as 20 points by season's end and will look to close out the regular season strong as it battles for a postseason berth.
Wolfpack on the Big Screen
Sunday's match marks the first of NC State's back-to-back nationally televised contests on ACC Network. The Pack will host Duke at 7 p.m. before heading to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 8 p.m. NC State has appeared on ACC Network once this season, earning its biggest win of the year in that matchup, a 2-1 victory over No. 12 Wake Forest.
Last Time Out
NC State fell 3-0 to No. 20 Louisville on Thursday night at Dail Soccer Stadium in its Senior Night matchup. The loss snapped the Wolfpack's six-match ACC unbeaten streak, which was tied for the longest in program history with the 2017 squad.
The opening half was a tightly contested midfield battle, with both sides limited to a handful of opportunities. Louisville outshot the Pack 6-4 in the period, but NC State created several quality chances of its own. Mana Nakata nearly put the Wolfpack ahead in the 23rd minute when her shot rang off the post, while goalkeeper Olivia Pratapas and the NC State back line turned away multiple late Cardinal chances to send the match into halftime scoreless. Louisville finally broke through in the 70th minute as AG Gibson found the back of the net from the top of the box to make it 1-0. The Cardinals then added a pair of late goals from Betsy Huckaby in the 84th minute and Amelia Swinarski in the 85th to secure the 3-0 result.
A Win Would …
- Mark Gary Higgins' sixth victory as head coach at NC State.
- Be the 408th win in program history.
- Be Higgins' 116th win in his coaching career.
- Mark the program's 12th all-time win over Duke.
- Mark the fifth ACC win of the season for NC State.
Series History
Sunday marks the 41st all-time meeting between NC State and Duke. The Blue Devils lead the series with 25 wins, while the Wolfpack has 11 victories. The teams share four draws.
The teams last met in 2023, when NC State earned a scoreless draw against a nationally ranked Duke squad in Durham. The Pack's most recent win in the series came in 2021, a 2-1 double-overtime victory on the road.
Scouting the Blue Devils
Duke enters Sunday's match ranked No. 7 nationally in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll and sits at No. 12 in the RPI. The Blue Devils have collected 15 points in ACC play, currently holding the final spot in the six-team ACC Championship field.
Offensively, Duke features two of the ACC's top scorers in Kat Rader and Mia Minestrella, who each have nine goals this season, ranking eighth and ninth in the league, respectively. Mia Oliaro has been the team's top playmaker with nine assists, the third-most in the conference.
The Blue Devils are led by first-year head coach Kieran Hall, who took over following the retirement of longtime coach Robbie Church prior to the 2025 campaign. Hall joined the Duke staff in 2019 and was promoted to associate head coach in 2020. During his first six seasons with the program, he has helped guide the Blue Devils to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including a College Cup run and the program's first-ever No. 1 overall seed in 2024.
Up Next
The Pack will play its final game of the regular season on Thursday, Oct. 30, at North Carolina. The game is slated for 8 p.m. on ACC Network.
To stay up-to-date with NC State women's soccer, follow @packwsoccer on social media.
