No. 2 Blue Devils Erupt for Six Goals as Duke Defeats VCU, 6-0

Sunday, August 30

Durham, N.C.

1 p.m.

Duke University

5-0-1, 0-0-0

VCU

0-5-1, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
VCU	0	0	0
Duke	5	1	6

Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 2 Blue Devils Erupt for Six Goals as Duke Defeats VCU, 6-0

8/30/2026 4:39:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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DURHAM, N.C. – The second-ranked Duke women's soccer team erupted for a school-record three goals in the first 6:24 of the match en route to a 6-0 victory over VCU Sunday afternoon inside Freeman Field at Koskinen Stadium.

A total of six different Blue Devils scored on the afternoon – Phoebe Goldthwaite, Natalie Chudowsky, Avery Oder, Mia Minestrella, Sam Courtwright and Katie Shea Collins. Duke registered its second clean sheet of the season.

Duke closed non-conference action with a 5-0-1 record, while VCU fell to 0-5-1.

How It Happened

Duke jumped on the board quickly as the Blue Devils scored just 2:15 into the match as redshirt junior Sam Courtwright totaled her third goal of the season and 12th of her career. Sophomore Jocelyn Travers started it off by dribbling into the middle of the pitch and found senior Phoebe Goldthwaite on the left side, who sent a perfect cross at the top of the box to a wide-open Courtwright. A product of Dallas, Texas, Courtwright took one touch and placed the ball into the left corner of the goal to give Duke a 1-0 lead.
At the 5:28 mark, the Blue Devils went ahead, 2-0, as senior Sam Bodensteiner and Courtwright found sophomore Avery Oder in the box. Oder, who hails from Calabasas, California, beat a Rams defender and turned in her third goal of the season.
Duke netted its third goal to take a 3-0 lead less than a minute later as Oder found Courtwright on the right side of the box and sent a cross in front of the goal to a wide-open Goldthwaite. A native of Durham, Goldthwaite fired a right-footed shot that was saved by VCU keeper Mia Pongratz. The rebound came back to Goldthwaite and she used her left foot to finish the goal at the 6:24 mark.
The Blue Devils went ahead, 4-0, at the 25:51 mark as Oder passed to Collins, who drove toward the end line and passed back in the middle of the box. The ball went off a VCU defender and to the feet of freshman Natalie Chudowsky, who blasted in a right-footed shot that went off the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Duke added a fifth goal in the 29th minute as Collins finished her fifth of the season and 28th of her collegiate career off a pass from senior Mia Minestrella.
At the end of the first half, Duke held a 26-0 advantage in shots with Minestrella's career-high eight attempts leading the charge.
Minestrella put the Blue Devils ahead, 6-0, in the 66th minute as junior Sophia Recupero went into the box and at the end line before crossing a ball to Minestrella's head for the goal.
Duke finished the afternoon with a season-high 38 shots, including 18 on goal. A total of 15 different Blue Devils registered shots.

Notes

The two goals in the first 5:28 of the match were the fourth-quickest in Duke history. Duke scored three goals in the first 6:24, which was the quickest to three goals in Blue Devil lore.
Five different Blue Devils scored in the first half over the first 28:09 of the half.
Duke's five goals in the first half tied for ninth-most in Blue Devil history.
Phoebe Goldthwaite totaled her second career goal and her first since her freshman season. She played in her 50th career match.
Goldthwaite made her second start of the season and sixth of her career, while senior Sam Bodensteiner made her third start of the year and fourth of her career.
Freshman Natalie Chudowsky totaled her first collegiate goal. She had taken only three shots on the season entering the match.
Sam Courtwright notched her third goal as a Blue Devil and tied a career high with two assists.
Katie Shea Collins netted a goal in the fourth game in a row and five out of six matches. She owns 28 over her career.
Avery Oder turned in her third goal of the season and ninth of her collegiate career.
Mia Minestrella finished the day with a career-high 10 shots, including seven on goal, one goal and an assist. She moved into a tie for fourth on Duke's all-time goals list with 38 tallies and into sole possession of fifth on the points list with 91. Minestrella has scored a goal in four games in a row.
Minestrella's 10 shots ranked tied for sixth-most in Duke single-game history.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Bianca Dominguez totaled her first collegiate saves on the afternoon (3). She played the final 18:34 of the match.
Duke closed the month of August with a 21-2-1 record over the last five years.
The Blue Devils won the 25th match in a row against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.