After previously unranked Tennessee upset North Carolina — the reigning national champs and No. 1 ranked team in the sport — there was sure to be some shuffling in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for women’s college soccer.
Voters in the poll didn’t have to look far for a new No. 1 team. The Tar Heels’ bitter rivals nestled just 11 miles north of Chapel Hill, the Duke Blue Devils, are the new top-ranked team in the country.
The new Coaches Poll was released Tuesday and it marks the second time in the last two seasons that the Blue Devils have appeared atop it.
Duke was a No. 1 seed in last year’s College Cup, but fell to the Tar Heels in the Final Four. This season, the Blue Devils were the preseason No. 4 ranked team and started the year off with a 3-2 home victory over No. 11 Penn State — thanks to two goals and an assist from junior forward Mia Minestrella. The victory was the first for new head coach Kieran Hall, who took over the reins of the program following the retirement of longtime Duke coach Robbie Church.
Stanford is second in the latest poll and Florida State is third, making the top three an All-ACC group.
While North Carolina rebounded from its loss to Tennessee with a win over Siena, the Tar Heels fell from first to 12th in the latest poll. The Lady Vols are now sixth after starting the season unranked. Tennessee added to its win total after topping the Tar Heels by blowing out Eastern Kentucky 9-0.
Duke is now 17-0 in home openers and extended its winning streak at Koskinen Stadium to 14 games. The Blue Devils will aim to extend that streak again on Thursday when they host Northwestern at 6 p.m. ET with coverage on ACC Network Extra.
