No. 14 Duke Travels to No. 2 Maryland, No. 10 American

DURHAM, N.C. - Coming off an important non-conference win over No. 11 Boston University, the 14^th-ranked Duke field hockey team now faces two top-10 opponents this weekend in No. 2 Maryland and No. 10 American. The Blue Devils take on the Terrapins Saturday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. in College Park before making the trip to Washington, D.C., to play the Eagles Sunday, Oct. 10, also at 1 p.m.

Duke (6-6, 0-3 ACC) split its two games last weekend, falling to No. 12 Boston College, 1-0, Saturday before rebounding with a 1-0 shutout of No. 11 Boston University on Sunday. Freshman Caashia Karringten netted the game-winner in the second half to topple the Terriers, while senior goalkeeper Samantha Nelson made six saves to record her fourth shutout of the season.

For the year, the Blue Devils are led on offense by freshman Emmie Le Marchand with nine points on four goals and an assist. Senior Susan Ferger is second on the team with three goals, while Karringten and sophomore Mary Nielsen have two goals each. Nelson has logged every minute in goal for Duke, posting 43 saves and a .768 save percentage to rank second in the ACC in both categories.

Entering Saturday, Maryland (10-1, 3-0 ACC) has won two straight contests since dropping a 4-2 decision at No. 4 Princeton on Sept. 28. Last weekend, the Terrapins slipped past No. 3 Virginia in overtime, 2-1, then defeated No. 19 Michigan, 4-3, in Ann Arbor. Katie O'Donnell has led Maryland on the year with 40 points on 13 goals and 14 assists. Jemma Buckley (10g, 5a), Jill Witmer (8g, 3a), Megan Frazer (5g, 4a) and Ali McEvoy (4g, 3a) have all reached double-figure point totals. In goal, Melissa Vassalotti has played a majority of the minutes, posting a 1.63 goals-against average and a .683 save percentage.

Sunday's match-up pits Duke against American (9-2, 1-0 Patriot) in the eighth all-time meeting between the two programs. The Eagles began the year with a 1-2 record, but have won eight straight, moving to No. 10 in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Coaches Poll. Shelley Montgomery and Lotte Van de mierop have been American's top scorers on the year with six goals each. Gina Hofmann has registered four goals and 10 assists to lead the team in points. Goalkeeper Hannah Weitzman has posted a 0.94 goals-against average, making 22 saves on the year.

The Blue Devils will continue their current road swing with two away games next weekend. Duke travels to William and Mary for a 7 p.m. tilt on Friday, Oct. 15 before heading to Norfolk, Va., to face Old Dominion for the second time this season on Sunday, Oct. 17. Sunday's game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.

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