United Soccer Coaches has released its preseason "Forwards to Watch" list for the 2026 women’s college season, and two names dominate the conversation: Katie Shea Collins and Mia Minestrella.
The duo accounted for 53 goals during the 2024 and 2025 campaigns, a tally that underscores their reputation as elite finishers and playmakers.
Minestrella, a native of Redondo Beach, California, exploded for 30 goals, added 12 assists and compiled 72 points in the 2024‑2025 season, earning United Soccer Coaches and College Sports Communicators Academic All‑America honors.
Collins, originally from Gallatin, Tennessee, arrived at Duke in December after a two‑year stint at South Carolina where she recorded 23 goals and 54 points, and she was named a 2025 United Soccer Coaches All‑American and All‑SEC First Team selection.
Now a cornerstone of a Duke program that opens the season on August 12 against Southern California, the Blue Devils enter the year ranked third nationally and will broadcast their debut on the Big Ten Network.
Season outlook
Coaches and analysts point to the pair’s complementary styles — Minestrella’s ability to create space and set up teammates, and Collins’s physical presence and clutch finishing — as key ingredients that could push Duke deep into the tournament.
Both players say they are eager to translate preseason buzz into on‑field production, and the early matchup against Southern California offers a first test of their chemistry as the new campaign unfolds.