Duke Opens NCAA Championship Action Friday

Gameday Information

Duke takes on Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Championship, Friday at 2:30 p.m., at Karen Shelton Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. Tickets are $10 for lawn and standing room and $15 for general admission seating.

The Opening Pass-Back

Duke makes its 21st appearance in the NCAA Championship and third straight, taking on Iowa in the first round Nov. 14. The Blue Devils are 27-20 all-time in NCAA postseason action.
Duke is coming off a 5-2 loss to ACC Champion and No. 1 North Carolina in the ACC Championship semifinal. The Blue Devils are 12-7 overall with all seven setbacks coming against teams ranked in the top 10.
Senior Alaina McVeigh and sophomore Julia Boehringer lead the offensive charge with 37 and 25 points, respectively. Madison Beach has 11 assists, tied for 11th in Duke single season history.
Duke aims to return to the NCAA semifinals for the eighth time as the Blue Devils are set to serve as host for the national championship weekend.
The Blue Devils have seven shutouts this season and allowed just eight goals in ACC play. Duke gave up multiple goals in a game four times this season - Liberty (4), Wake Forest (3) and North Carolina (2&5).

By the Numbers
102 - Career points for junior Alaina McVeigh, one of 13 Blue Devils to reach the benchmark and ranking 10th in program history
349 - Career wins for head coach Pam Bustin, one away from becoming the 13th Division I coach all-time to reach the benchmark
37 - Points this season for McVeigh, matching her career high and tied for 25th in Duke single-season history
3.16 - Goals per game for the Hawkeyes, ninth nationally
1.42 - Goals per game for Iowa's Dionne van Aalsum, leading the nation
1.14 - Goals per game allowed by Duke this season
29 - First-half goals for the Blue Devils this season
11 - Goals allowed by Duke in the first half this season
14 & 10 - Respective goals for Alaina McVeigh and Julia Boehringer, the first time since 2019 Duke has had two double-digit goal scorers in a season
7 - Duke shutouts in 2025, which is second in the ACC and seventh nationally
11 - Goals allowed by Duke on 65 penalty corners – an 83 percent success rate for the Blue Devils' defensive penalty corner unit
20 - Goals scored by Duke on 112 penalty corners
27 - NCAA Championship wins in Duke history

Blue Devils vs Hawks

Duke and Iowa meet for the 10th time overall and the second time in NCAA Championship action. The Blue Devils are 6-3 overall versus the Hawkeyes with Iowa winning the most recent matchup in the 2019 NCAA Championship opening round.
Six of the nine matchups between the programs have been decided by a single goal and all but one game has had at least three goals combined scored.

A Glance at the Matchup

Duke's defense will face another test as it matches up against the nation's ninth-ranked offense (3.16 g/gm) and the country's top scorer in Dionne van Aalsum with 1.42 goals per game. The junior midfielder has 27 goals and three assists for 57 points. van Aalsum has scored at least one goal in 15 games and has scored four goals in a game twice this season. Defensively, Duke has allowed multiple goals just four times - three fewer games than van Aaslum's seven multiple-goal outings.
Iowa has allowed multiple goals eight times this season while the Blue Devils have scored at least two goals in 12 contests. Alaina McVeigh looks to continue her stellar play after registering four goals and an assist in the two ACC Championship games.

A Win Friday Would

Be Pam Bustin's 188th at Duke and 350th overall
Make Duke 28-20 in NCAA Championship play
Push Duke into the NCAA quarterfinals for the 16th time and for third consecutive season

Next Game

A win pushes Duke into the NCAA Championship quarterfinal against the winner between North Carolina and Saint Joseph's. The quarterfinal is set for 1 p.m., at Karen Shelton Stadium.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils field hockey, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeFH".

#GoDuke