Balanced Scoring Sends Duke Past BC, 6-2

Friday, September 30

Durham, N.C.

6:00 PM

Duke University

Boston College

Catching Up with Former Blue Devil Heather Morris

Balanced Scoring Sends Duke Past BC, 6-2

9/30/2016 9:26:00 PM | Field Hockey

FH vs. BC: Gill Goal Gets Duke on the Board Pam Bustin Postgame INT: Duke 6, BC 2 FH vs. BC: Tynan Puts Back Rebound FH vs. BC: Morris Fires Hard Strike FH vs. BC: Chillano Tallies Two Goals Against Eagles Photos: Duke 6, BC 2 Season Statistics Box Score

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – Third-ranked Duke utilized a balanced offensive performance to down No. 15 Boston College, 6-2, Friday evening at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium. Senior Heather Morris and junior Alyssa Chillano tallied two goals each as the Blue Devils extended their record to 9-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play.

Head coach Pam Bustin's squad responded to a narrow loss at North Carolina last week with an impressive collective effort, featuring four different goal scorers in the win over the Eagles.

“All last week, the focus was on our ability to compete and to get out there and compete for every ball and stay connected as a team,” Bustin said. “They did a great job from the first whistle today to make that happen. And even as the game waned on and we were working and we had some points on the board, it was about making sure our defense stayed disciplined. We had our moments, but everybody got some good experience tonight, and we'll be able to look back at that and be better for it.”

Both sides came out shooting, but it was Duke that would strike first on an Ainsley Gill goal in the third minute. Gill put away the feed from Morris for her first of the year. The Blue Devils converted the first of their three penalty corner goals at the 13:08 mark, with Chillano finishing on assists by Gill and junior back Stephanie Pezzuti.

Boston College countered with pressure on its attacking end, drawing a pair of corner opportunities. Senior Hunter Bracale made a defensive save, goalkeeper Sammi Steele added a stop and the defense turned away two other looks by the Eagles to keep the visiting squad off the board.

Morris made it 3-0 a short while later, finding the back of the cage on a hard strike after the ball was played to her by teammate Caroline Andretta. Duke would tack on one more before the end of the half, as sophomore forward Rose Tynan made good on a corner opportunity, putting away a rebound for her sixth goal of the season.

The Blue Devils extended their run to five unanswered early in the second period when Morris sent a low drag into the cage. Junior Ashley Kristen and freshman Margaux Paolino picked up the assists on the penalty corner goal.

“This team is deep and this team is talented,” Bustin said. “On any given day, everybody have to be ready to contribute and to do their job. They were ready. We have some great goal scorers from the backfield all the way up to the front.”

Following a stretch of back and forth play, Eryn McCoy of the Eagles broke through for a tally in the 58th minute. However, Duke would score again just minutes later on a penalty corner goal by Chillano and assists by Kristen and Pezzuti. Chillano's eighth of the year made it a 6-1 contest.

Boston College rounded out the high-scoring affair with a Lucy Lytle goal inside the final minute of play.

Steele finished with three saves in goal for the Blue Devils, while Audra Hampsch made three stops for the Eagles in the loss.

Duke led in shots, 16-13, while limiting Boston College to just six looks on goal. The Blue Devils also totaled seven penalty corners to three by the Eagles.

Bustin's squad remains at home through the weekend, hosting No. 13 Boston University Sunday at 1 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

“Another good team coming here, and it's just what we need and what we want,” Bustin said. “We're just going to have to stick to what we do and make sure that we stay on task from the start of the game all the way to the finish.”

--- NOTES ---

- The six goals were the most scored by a Duke team in a regular season ACC contest since the 2003 squad defeated Virginia, 6-1, Nov. 2 of that year.

- Juniors Ashley Kristen and Stephanie Pezzuti both notched their first multiple-assist games of the season. The two assists marked a career high for Pezzuti.

#GoDuke