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Blue Devils Tabbed USC East Regional Staff of the Year
11/21/2017 5:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
DURHAM, N.C. – The trophy case for Duke women's soccer earned another addition Tuesday afternoon, as the Blue Devil coaching staff was named the 2017 East Regional Staff of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches.
Led by ACC Coach of the Year Robbie Church, associate head coach Erwin van Bennekom and assistants Carla Overbeck and Lane Davis, the Blue Devil staff has orchestrated one of the greatest seasons in school history and has Duke on the verge of its fourth College Cup appearance. Top-seeded Duke took down UNCG, Oklahoma State and No. 4 Texas to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals, where it will face Baylor Friday, Nov. 24 at 5 p.m. ET at Koskinen Stadium.
The Blue Devils have amassed 22 victories in 2017 and went a perfect 10-0-0 in conference play en route to claiming the 2017 ACC regular season championship for the third time in program history. The Blue Devils are the first squad since Virginia in 2013 to finish with a perfect record in league play.
Duke's rewriting of the record book does not stop there, as it has also tied the school record for shutouts (16) and home wins (14), while setting marks for ACC wins (10), ACC shutouts (8) and ACC goal differential (+20).
Church led his 17th DWS squad to the greatest winning streak in program history, as the Blue Devils reeled off 19-straight wins from Aug. 20 – Nov. 3, demolishing the previous record of eight-straight wins set in 2000. That streak helped propel Duke to its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance and 14th in the last 15 seasons, while also being awarded with the second No. 1 seed in school history, with the other coming in 2011.
In a season that has seen Church record his 200th victory at Duke and 400th for his career (men's and women's), it has also seen the Blue Devils rule atop the ACC in a number of statistical categories. Duek currently stands first in the ACC in winning percentage (.917), goals (56), points (159), goals against average (.414), shutout percentage (.667), scoring offense (2.33) and save percentage (.833). Of those seven categories, six of those stand top 10 in the nation.
Individually, the Blue Devil staff has produced a school-best and league-high nine All-ACC stars this season, including the ACC Offensive Player of the Year (Imani Dorsey), Midfielder of the Year (Rebecca Quinn) and Defender of the Year (Schuyler DeBree). Church's ACC Coach of the Year honor is the second of his career, making him the sixth coach in conference history to earn the award multiple times.
Church and his squad have also preached dominance in the classroom as well and it once again showed off this year, as a nation-leading five players were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team earlier in the month.
Each of the 21 coaching staffs receiving Regional Staff of the Year recognition will be honored at the College Coaches Awards Reception on January 18, 2018 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown Independence Ballroom in conjunction with the 2018 United Soccer Coaches Convention.
In addition, the Regional Staff of the Year recipients will be placed on the United Soccer Coaches ballot for National Staff of the Year consideration within their respective NCAA division. The ballot will also include the addition of coaching staffs from any schools which advance to the semifinals of their NCAA Championship.
Voting for National Staff of the Year will begin on November 27 and end on December 5. United Soccer Coaches will announce the Men's and Women's National Staff of the Year for all NCAA divisions on December 19.
For more information on Duke women's soccer, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for “DukeWSoc”. You can also find all-access coverage of all Duke athletic programs on SnapChat by searching for “dukeathletics”.
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