DURHAM – As the no. 2 ranked Duke women’s soccer team prepares to open the 2022 campaign this week, more honors for the Blue Devils rolled in on Tuesday from TopDrawerSoccer and United Soccer Coaches.
Duke seniors Ruthie Jones and Sophie Jones and sophomore Michelle Cooper were tabbed to the Preseason Best XI Teams. Sophie Jones was on the first team, while both Ruthie Jones and Cooper were on the second team. Rookie Devin Lynch earned TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI as well.
The United Soccer Coaches released its NCAA Division I Women’s Players to Watch list on Tuesday by announcing the forwards ledger. Cooper was one of 41 on the preseason list.
A two-time All-ACC selection and 2020-21 All-American, Sophie Jones is coming off starting all 21 matches a year ago where she primarily played on the defensive side. She logged one assist on the year, while helping the Duke defense collect 12 clean sheets, which tied for third in the league. A product of Menlo Park, Calif., Jones has started all 52 contests she has played in as a Blue Devil.
Cooper, the 2021 National and ACC Freshman of the Year, returns after leading Duke with 12 goals and 29 points, while tying for second with five assists. Her 12 goals were a Blue Devil freshman record. She became the first Duke player to score six goals over her first six career matches and went on to be a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy. Cooper, who is from Clarkston, Mich., is currently serving as the United States captain for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
Ruthie Jones, a native of Charlotte, NC, recently represented the United States on the U-23 Women’s National Team trip to Sweden, after coming off a stellar junior campaign where she was an All-ACC First Team selection. She recorded 46 saves with a .793 save percentage, while allowing just 12 goals for an ACC-best 0.59 goals against average. Jones owns 19.9 shutouts over three seasons, which ranks fifth on Duke’s all-time charts.
Rated the No. 10 overall recruit in the class of 2022 by TopDrawerSoccer, Lynch enters her first season with the Blue Devils. A product of Naperville, Ill., Lynch was the No. 3 rated midfielder in her class and has been a member of the US Youth National Team pool since 2018. Over the summer, Lynch helped Sockers FC reach the U-19 Girls Academy National Finals and was awarded the U-19 Golden Boot Girls Academy in 2021-22.
The Blue Devils open the 2022 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 18 at East Carolina. The match is slated to start at 7 pm, live on ESPN+.
Fans can follow along with Duke’s preseason adventures by following the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for “DukeWSoc”.
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