Upcoming Event: Field Hockey at Virginia on October 3, 2025 at 5 p.m.
/
5 p.m.
Field Hockey
at Virginia
Friday, September 15
Durham, N.C.
6 p.m.
Duke University
vs
Syracuse
Photo by: Duke Athletics
No. 9 Duke Opens ACC Play with No. 6 Syracuse Friday; Hosts ODU Sunday
9/13/2023 4:40:00 PM | Field Hockey
About the Weekend
Bleed Blue and Live Green with Duke Field Hockey
By the Numbers
11 - Points for Hannah Miller against Longwood, becoming the second different Blue Devil to score at least 10 points in a game
Â
0.80 - Assists per game average for Miller, leading the ACC and ranking 11th nationally
Â
6 - Goals for sophomore Alaina McVeigh in five games, ranking second in the ACC and seventh nationally
Â
11 - Spots climbed by the Blue Devils in the NFHCA poll since the preseason rankings - the largest move by an DI program
Â
6.4 - Shots per game allowed by Duke this season, compared to the 13.2 per game average after the first five games last season
Â
2-1 - Duke's record against top-10 teams this season
Â
22.6 - Shots per game average for Syracuse after five games
Â
7 – Games remaining on Duke's schedule versus teams ranked in the NFHCA top 20 poll
Â
15 - Wins needed by head coach Pam Bustin to become Duke's winningest field hockey coach with 163 victories
Â
Movin' On Up
A Win Friday Would
A Starter From Start To Finish
Series Histories
What Gives?
Penalty Corner Productivity
Next Game
#GoDuke
Â
- Duke welcomes No. 6 Syracuse and Old Dominion to Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium Friday and Sunday, respectively. Both games will be streamed on ACCNX and available via the ESPN app.
- It's a Pride Weekend for the Blue Devils with fans able to get a Pride keychain at the games.
- Duke closes its four-game homestand this weekend with ACC foe Syracuse and regional opponent Old Dominion. Syracuse is Duke's fourth top-10 opponent with the Blue Devils going 2-1 in the previous three. Â
- The Blue Devils are coming off a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over regional rival and No. 9 Liberty. Alaina McVeigh provided the heroics with the winning goal with 48 seconds left.
- Syracuse comes to Durham with a perfect 5-0 record and outscoring its opponents 27-5. The Orange lead the ACC in every offensive category, including averaging 11.40 penalty corners per game.
- Old Dominion is 2-3 overall with one-goal losses to No. 4 Michigan and No. 2 North Carolina and a 4-2 setback to Delaware. The Monarchs open BIG EAST action Sept. 15 against Liberty.
Bleed Blue and Live Green with Duke Field Hockey
- With climate change and sustainability efforts at the forefront of news all around the world, the Duke University field hockey team will host a Bleed Blue Live Green game against Wake Forest, Sept. 29. In conjunction with the game, Duke will hold a donation drive for gently used athletic equipment, shoes and clothes with items going directly to the Boys and Girls Club of Durham. For this game, Duke field hockey is asking fans to bring an item to donate. The Blue Devils will accept gently used athletic equipment (sticks, balls, gloves, etc.) along with shoes and clothes. For each item donated, fans will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win prizes, including a mini field hockey stick signed by the Duke field hockey team.
By the Numbers
11 - Points for Hannah Miller against Longwood, becoming the second different Blue Devil to score at least 10 points in a game
Â
0.80 - Assists per game average for Miller, leading the ACC and ranking 11th nationally
Â
6 - Goals for sophomore Alaina McVeigh in five games, ranking second in the ACC and seventh nationally
Â
11 - Spots climbed by the Blue Devils in the NFHCA poll since the preseason rankings - the largest move by an DI program
Â
6.4 - Shots per game allowed by Duke this season, compared to the 13.2 per game average after the first five games last season
Â
2-1 - Duke's record against top-10 teams this season
Â
22.6 - Shots per game average for Syracuse after five games
Â
7 – Games remaining on Duke's schedule versus teams ranked in the NFHCA top 20 poll
Â
15 - Wins needed by head coach Pam Bustin to become Duke's winningest field hockey coach with 163 victories
Â
Movin' On Up
- Duke moved up four more places in the NFHCA poll, taking over the No. 9 spot following its win over No. 9 Liberty Sunday. It's the largest improvement by a program for the second consecutive week as the Blue Devils are 11 spots up from their preseason ranking of 20th.
A Win Friday Would
- Push Duke to 5-1Â this season, marking the seventh time under head coach Pam Bustin the Blue Devils have won at least five of their first six games.
- Be Duke's third top-10 victory this season - matching the 2019 team that posted three wins against top-10 foes in the first six games of the season. Duke had six top-10 wins in 2015 when it advanced to the NCAA semifinals.
A Starter From Start To Finish
- Having started every game of her career so far, Miller is on pace to break the Duke record for career starts. The standout forward has started 77 career games with the record standing at 84 by Melissa Panasci. Miller is one of 18 players in program history to start every game she played at Duke.
Series Histories
- Duke meets Syracuse for the 15th time since the Orange joined the league in 2013. The Blue Devils are just 2-12 with both wins coming during the 2018 season. The Orange has outscored Duke 17-4 in the past three meetings.
- Duke and Old Dominion square off for the 46th time and for the 30th time in the past 20 years. The Monarchs have a slight edge, 24-21, but the Blue Devils have won eight straight. Duke has outscored ODU 11-2 in the past three matchups.
What Gives?
- Duke is averaging 3.60 goals per game this season, thanks to the nine against Longwood, to rank second in the ACC. The Blue Devils have scored at least two goals in each of their five outings and are averaging 19.4 shots per game.
- On the other side of the ball, Syracuse is allowing its opponents just 3.8 shots per game and has allowed only five goals. The Orange have given up just 16 penalty corners, while Duke has earned 41.
Penalty Corner Productivity
- Duke has been quite successful on penalty corners already this season, scoring nine goals on 41 penalty corners. Last weekend, Duke scored six goals directly off penalty corners or a rebound from a penalty corner shot. The Blue Devils had 22 corners in the two games - that's a goal 27 percent of the time.
- Last season, Duke scored just eight goals on 111 penalty corners, registering a goal on 7.2 percent of the time.Â
Next Game
- Duke hits the road to Beantown as the Blue Devils travel to play No. 14 Boston College and No. 15 Harvard next weekend.
#GoDuke
Â
Players Mentioned
M/F
/ Field Hockey
F
/ 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
