Northwestern
#1 Duke
Northwestern Heads to Durham to Take on Top-Ranked Duke
8/20/2025 4:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern women's soccer looks to take down the top-ranked team in the country for the first time in program history Thursday evening when it takes on No. 1 Duke in Durham, N.C. at 5 p.m. CT on ACCNX.
Last time out, Northwestern defeated Illinois State 1-0 behind a 49th-minute goal from Caterina Regazzoni, who was able to redirect a shot from Alex Fallon shot past the Redbird goalkeeper. Regazzoni's goal stood up as the game-winner, her sixth career game-winning goal, fifth-most in program history. Fallon's assist marked her second of the 2025 campaign, also tallying an assist in NU's 2-0 win at Loyola Chicago. First-year goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson collected a career-high seven saves in the shutout.
Northwestern is off to its first 2-0 start since 2018 and has opened up the campaign with a pair of road wins for the first time since 2012. NU has shut out its first two opponents for the first time since 2023 and has recorded back-to-back road shutouts for the first time since October 13-23, 2022.
NU boasts a 19-3-4 record (.808 winning percentage) in regular season non-conference play since 2022. Its 19 regular season non-conference wins are second-most in the Big Ten over that span.
The Wildcats return 65% of goals scored from 2024, which ranks fourth-highest among all Big Ten programs. In 2024, Northwestern first-years accounted for 27.6% (5,191/18,810) of total minutes played and 40% (8/20) of total goals scored.
Nyamma Nelson posted a pair of shutouts in her first two collegiate appearances. She is the only first-year goalkeeper in the country with two shutouts on the season and the first first-year in program history to begin her career with consecutive shutouts. Nelson earned Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors, the Wildcats' first Big Ten Player of the Week since Sept. 10, 2024.
In her rookie campaign, Kennedy Roesch tallied six goals, the most by a Wildcat first-year since 2010 (Kate Allen, six). Following Roesch's goal in NU's 2-0 win at Loyola Chicago in the season opener, 'Cats are 5-0-2 in games where the sophomore finds the back of the net.Locked It Down ????
— Northwestern Soccer (@NUWSoccer) August 19, 2025
Nyamma Nelson is your @B1GSoccer Goalkeeper of the Week! pic.twitter.com/NBddEAjwCs
Thursday's meeting will mark the second time in program history in which the Wildcats face the No. 1 team in the country and the first time since their meeting with No. 1 UCLA in the Third Round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. NU is 0-1 all-time against Duke, falling 1-0 in Durham in the Third Round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils are 1-0 on the 2025 season, defeating No. 11 Penn State 3-2 in their home opener last Thursday. Junior Mia Minestrella was involved in all three Blue Devil goals in the victory, scoring a pair and assisting on a third.
After Thursday's clash, the 'Cats will open up the home slate against Kent State on Sunday, August 24 at 4 p.m. CT at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium on B1G+.
Headin' out ?? pic.twitter.com/PQ91jkUwaK
— Northwestern Soccer (@NUWSoccer) August 20, 2025
