McVeigh Scores 100th Point; Duke Falls to No. 1 UNC

Thursday, November 6

Louisville, Ky.

11 a.m.

Duke University

(12-6)

North Carolina

(17-1)

Duke

North Carolina

McVeigh Scores 100th Point; Duke Falls to No. 1 UNC

11/6/2025 1:26:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Box Score

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Duke senior Alaina McVeigh scored twice, but it was not enough as the eighth-ranked Blue Devils fell to No. 1 North Carolina, 5-2, in the ACC Field Hockey Championship semifinal Thursday at Trager Stadium.

The Blue Devils (12-7) and Tar Heels (18-1) finished the action-packed game with 16 shots apiece. McVeigh's two goals give her 102 career points, making her the 13th Blue Devil to reach the century mark in her career. Dani Mendez led the way for North Carolina with a pair of goals.

How it Happened

It was end-to-end action in the first quarter featuring 10 total shots, a combined five penalty corners and three goals. The Tar Heels grabbed the early lead in the third minute as Mendez redirected the sweep from Isabel Boere past Duke goalie Kaiya Chepow.
Duke responded less than two minutes later when Madison Beach found McVeigh inside the circle for the fabulous finish over North Carolina keeper Katie Wimmer, who went down hoping to stop the Duke star from scoring.
North Carolina regained the lead just over five minutes later, capitalizing on a loose ball inside the penalty circle. Chepow made a fabulous save on the drag flick, but Coco Courtright corralled the rebound and fired a shot to the far post for Ryleigh Heck to tip in.
Both teams finished the opening quarter with five shots, but it was North Carolina with a slight 2-1 edge on the scoreboard.
North Carolina had much of the possession in the second quarter, including winning two more penalty corners. However, Duke's resilient defense was up to the task in keeping the Tar Heels off the board to head into halftime trailing 2-1.
The third quarter provided more fireworks as Duke continued to press forward in search of the win. Despite the Blue Devils outshooting the Tar Heels 8-4 in the period, North Carolina scored twice to stretch the lead to 4-1.
Penalty corners continued to be the story for the Tar Heels as Mendez once again was in the right spot to put away a Chepow rebound. The sophomore goaltender made a great initial save, but Mendez was on the doorstep to put away the loose ball for a 3-1 North Carolina lead. Charley Bruder made it 4-1 in the 44th minute with an unassisted tally.
McVeigh pulled the Blue Devils back within two, 4-2, getting just enough of her stick on a Shae Wozniak service into the circle to beat Merritt Skubisz.
North Carolina tacked on a goal late in the fourth quarter, bringing it to a 5-2 final score.
Both teams fired 16 shots in the game with North Carolina holding a 9-6 advantage in penalty corners. Chepow made five saves while the Tar Heel keepers combined for seven.

Up Next

Duke will await the NCAA Championship announcement set for Nov. 9 at 10 p.m., streamed on NCAA.com. The first and second rounds will be played Nov. 14 and 16 on campus sites.

Notes

Alaina McVeigh became the 13th Blue Devil to record 100 points for her career. The senior Blue Devil has 44 goals and 14 assists for 102 points. Her 44 goals are ninth in Duke history.
McVeigh recorded her 11th career multiple goal game and the second straight in the ACC Championship.
Madison Beach registered her 11th assist of the season to tie for 18th on the Duke single-season chart.

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