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NCAA Nov 23, 2021

Duke women’s soccer announces first five signings for incoming 2022 class

DURHAM – Duke women’s soccer head coach Robbie Church has announced the signing of five future Blue Devils who will join the program in the fall of 2022.

The first five members of this year’s signing class include: Taylor Evans, Carina Lageyre, Devin Lynch, Elle Piper and Katherine Rader.

“We could not be more excited to bring this group into Duke,” said Church. “They really check all the boxes of what we’re looking for. All of them, number one, are great students. Academics are important to them and one of the main reasons they picked Duke is because they want to be challenged academically. They’re just good young ladies – they’re positive, they’re fun to be around and they are all really good players.”

Duke is one of two programs nationally with three signees listed in the top 10 of the TopDrawerSoccer.com rankings for the class of 2022, alongside Stanford. Lageyre is rated as the No. 4 overall prospect in the class, while Rader is listed at No. 7 and Lynch at No. 10.

Taylor Evans

Midfielder
CO
  • Has competed for Real Colorado of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) since 2020
  • Served as a team captain for top-five ranked Real Colorado each of the past two seasons
  • Named to Northwest U17 All-Conference First Team in 2020-21
  • Trained with Real Colorado’s Development Academy from 2017-20
  • Serves as a team captain at Mountain Vista High School
  • Named Mountain Vista’s team MVP in 2020-21
  • Academic All-State First Team selection by Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA)
  • Maintains a 4.1 GPA
  • Earned Academic Excellence Award in 2020-21
  • Coming to Durham from Highlands Ranch, Colo., the same hometown of current Duke graduate student Tess Boade

“Taylor mainly plays as a holding defensive midfielder. She’s really good in the air – probably one of the best players in the country in the air,” said Church. “She can play with her feet, she’s good at winning second balls and is a really physical player. She can win on the tackle and will provide us a really good physical presence in the end of the midfield. She’s coming from one of the best clubs in the country and we think she’s one of those underrated players in the class that will come in and really see some action in our program. Along with her being an excellent student-athlete, she has such an outgoing personality and is somebody that attracts people towards her.”

  • Ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect in the class of 2022 by TopDrawerSoccer.com
  • The No. 1-rated midfielder and No. 1 player from the state of Florida
  • Member of U.S. Youth National Team pool since 2017
  • Won the UEFA Women’s Development Tournament with the U17 Women’s National Team in Prague in May of 2019
  • Competed with the U17 WNT in friendlies versus England at IMG Academy in February of 2020
  • Traveled to Netherlands in June of 2018 with the U15 Youth National Team
  • Member of the 2016 Olympic Development Program South Region team
  • Won the Florida Youth Soccer Association (FYSA) state championship in 2016 with Weston FC
  • Three-time Principal’s Honor Roll selection at Cooper City High School
  • Ranks in the top two percent of her graduating class

“I’m very excited to have Carina join our soccer family,” said Church. “First of all, she’s a wonderful student-athlete. She’s done a phenomenal job in the classroom. She is a lovely young lady and a very talented soccer player. She can play anywhere in the midfield, and really anywhere on the field. She has pushed up with her club and played up front. She’s very creative with the ball, a good decision-maker and quick. Carina has a really good opportunity to come in and make a major impact early in our program.”

  • Rated No. 10 overall in the TopDrawerSoccer.com rankings for the class of 2022
  • The top-ranked prospect from the state of Illinois and No. 3-ranked midfielder
  • Member of U.S. Youth National Team pool since 2018
  • Traveled to China, Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden with the U15, U16 and U17 National Teams
  • United Soccer Coaches All-America selection in 2020
  • Helped Eclipse Select SC reach the U14 ECNL final in 2017
  • Helped Sockers FC reach the U18/19 U.S. Soccer Development Academy semifinals in 2019
  • Three-time honor roll member at Waubonsie Valley High School
  • Named an Illinois State Scholar in 2021

“Devin is another very talented student-athlete,” said Church. “I think she will provide a lot for our program and at Duke. She has played with the national teams, can play as a defensive midfielder and can play as an attacking midfielder. She’s good with the ball, crafty, strikes a good ball from distance and makes really good decisions. She can be good in the air and is a good possession player in the midfield. Devin is another player that has a great future at Duke and I think she can really come in and contribute.”

Elle Sonia Piper

Defender
CA
  • Rated No. 50 overall in the TopDrawerSoccer.com rankings for the class of 2022
  • Member of U.S. Youth National Team pool since 2017
  • Traveled to Netherlands for international friendlies as a member of the U16 National Team in June of 2019
  • Traveled to Tokyo to compete in the JFA Cup (Japan Football Association) with San Jose Earthquakes Development Academy in 2019
  • Won the U.S. Soccer Girls Development Academy U15 National Championship in 2018-19 with San Jose Earthquakes
  • Led all defenders in U.S. Soccer Girls Development Academy with 14 goals in 2018-19
  • Won the Girls Academy U19 National Championship in 2020-21 with FC Bay Area
  • Member of High Honor Roll (4.0-4.24 GPA) in 2019 and 2021 as a student at Valley Christian High School
  • Member of Highest Honor Roll (4.25+ GPA) in 2020

“Elle is a great student-athlete and is going to be a great addition to our program,” said Church. “She is really talented and can do a lot of things. She plays outside back and she can play in the midfield. She’s really good with the ball, is smart and has got a great soccer IQ. Her angles of support are fantastic. She strikes a really good ball. She can hit a long ball to open up the field, and she’ll be dangerous on set plays. I really think Elle is one of the most underrated players in the class and she has a bright future at Duke.”

  • Ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect in the class of 2022 by TopDrawerSoccer.com
  • Rated the No. 3 forward in the class and No. 2 player from the state of Florida behind fellow Duke signee Carina Lageyre
  • Member of U.S. Youth National Team pool since 2018
  • Competed at UEFA Development Tournament in England as member of U16 National Team in February of 2020
  • Traveled to Netherlands for international friendlies with U16 WNT in June of 2019
  • Member of championship winning U15 WNT at CONCACAF Tournament in August of 2018
  • Scored 24 goals in 12 matches in 2021-22 season with Florida United U19 Girls Academy team
  • Netted 67 goals in 30 games in 2020-21 season with Weston FC U19 Girls Academy team
  • Scored 32 goals in 14 games during COVID-shortened 2019-20 season with Weston FC U17 team – the most goals in all U.S. Soccer Development Academy age groups
  • Served as a team captain during 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons
  • Maintained a 4.0 GPA through four years at Jensen Beach High School

“Kat is a goal scorer,” said Church. “She’s a wonderful young lady who is really going to do well at Duke in the classroom. She has scored a lot of goals at every level she’s played at. She has the ability to beat you off the dribble, she’s athletic, she can get in behind you, she can play underneath you, she can combine with other players and she strikes a great ball. She’s really clinical in her finishing. She doesn’t need a lot of opportunities to finish. We’re really excited to have Kat and I think she will be a very good player in our program.”

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