Completed Event: Field Hockey at North Carolina on November 16, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 2 , OT
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Final
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at North Carolina
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2016 Field Hockey Season in Review
12/14/2016 9:15:00 AM | Field Hockey
DURHAM, N.C. – The Blue Devils rounded out the 2016 campaign at No. 1 in the final Penn Monto/NFHA Division I Coaches Poll after climbing to the top spot in the national rankings for the first time in program history. The squad finished with an overall record of 16-4, with 12 of the 16 wins coming against ranked opponents.
By the Numbers
4 - Straight NCAA quarterfinals appearances for the Duke program
6 - Shutouts posted by the Blue Devils in 2016, with four of those coming against ranked opponents
7 - Blue Devils with double-figure point totals on the year
3.2 - Assists per game averaged by the Blue Devils to top the ACC and rank third in the country
2 - NFHCA South Region Coach of the Year honors for head coach Pam Bustin - this season and in 2013
4 - Consecutive seasons in which the Duke program has featured multiple All-America selections
8 - Goals scored by the Blue Devils in a season-opening win over William & Mary, marking the squad's highest scoring output on the season
12 - Opponents on Duke's 2016 schedule ranked in the final Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll
3 - Straight weeks the Blue Devils held the No. 1 spot in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll to close the season
40 - Consecutive weeks in which Duke has been ranked among the top 10 teams in the country, dating back to the 2013 season
Number One for the First Time
Duke reached No. 1 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll for the first time in program history Oct. 25 and maintained the top spot in the final poll ... Duke held the No. 1 or No. 2 spot for eight of the 11 total editions of the rankings ... Head coach Pam Bustin's team also came in at No. 1 in the final NCAA RPI rankings and FieldHockeyCorner.com's Strength of Schedule.
Fourth Straight NCAA Quarterfinals Trip
The Blue Devils also earned the top seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2016 ... The squad shut out American, 3-0, in the opening round before falling to eventual national champion Delaware, 3-2, in overtime ... Duke made the program's fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals and its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance overall ... The program is now 22-15 all-time in the postseason event.
Regular Season Champions
Duke added to its season of historic firsts by capturing the program's first ACC regular season title this fall ... Head coach Pam Bustin's squad went 5-1 against conference foes to claim the regular season crown ... The team sealed the regular season championship and No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament with a 3-0 shutout of No. 4 North Carolina Oct. 22 at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium.
Duke's All-America Duo
Junior back Alyssa Chillano and senior forward Heather Morris represented Duke on the 2016 Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-America teams ... Chillano was honored with first team accolades after leading the Blue Devils in points (32) and goals (13) ... Morris was named to the third team after solidfying her place among the program's all-time scoring leaders in her final season.
Bustin Tabbed South Region Coach of the Year
Duke head coach Pam Bustin was named the Front Rush/NFHCA South Region Coach of the Year for the second time in the past four seasons following a historic season for the Blue Devils ... Bustin was previously tabbed the South Region Coach of the Year in 2013 after guiding Duke to the NCAA title game ... In her sixth season at the helm of the program, Bustin and her staff directed the Blue Devils to a 16-4 ledger and a fourth-straight trip to the NCAA quarterfinals.
Paolino Breaks Rookie Assist Record
Freshman midfielder Margaux Paolino figured largely into the Blue Devils' assist total this fall, pacing the squad with 14 ... A member of the U.S. U21 junior national team, Paolino surpassed former Blue Devil great Katie Grant (2006) for Duke's freshman assists record with one against North Carolina in the ACC semifinals ... Paolino rounded out the season ranked second in the ACC and fifth nationally at 0.70 assists per outing ... Behind her play, Duke led the conference and ranked third in the country in assists per game (3.15) ... Following the season, Paolino and the U.S. U21 squad traveled to Chile for the Women's Hockey Junior World Cup, earning an eighth-place finish.
Home Sweet Home
The Blue Devils wrapped up the regular season with an unbeaten record on their home turf and went on to finish with a 9-1 ledger in contests at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium this fall ... The program owns a 31-9 home record over the past four seasons.
Duke Lands Six on All-Region Teams
Junior back Alyssa Chillano, senior forward Heather Morris, graduate student forward Aisling Naughton, freshman midfielder Margaux Paolino and redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sammi Steele all earned spots on the NFHCA All-South Region first team ... Junior forward Ashley Kristen received second team honors ... The Blue Devils' six selections across the two teams matched North Carolina for the most in the South Region.
Duke in the National Landscape
In the final edition of the NCAA Division I team statistics, the Blue Devils were third in assists per game (3.15) and seventh in shutouts per game (0.30) ... The squad was also top-20 nationally in goals per game (8th, 3.35), scoring margin (8th, 1.83) and goals against average (12th, 1.48).
#GoDuke
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/ Field HockeyWhat It’s Like to Be a Blue Devil
Friday, June 13
End of Year Recap
Friday, December 13
CoachBustin Postgame: North Carolina
Sunday, November 17
Coach Bustin & Frederique Wollaert Postgame: Maryland
Friday, November 15
