Duke Hosts Syracuse, Saint Joseph’s During Senior Weekend

THE OPENING PASS BACK:

No. 3 Duke returns to action, hosting No. 9 Syracuse and Saint Joseph's to close out a three-game homestand. The Blue Devils welcome the Orange for a Friday afternoon tilt Oct. 2 at 3 p.m., before squaring off against the Hawks on Senior Day Oct. 4 at noon. Both games will stream live on ACCNX.
The Blue Devils enter the weekend atop the ACC standings at 3-0, and have won five consecutive games overall. Duke's 3-0 start to conference play and the five straight wins mark program bests dating back to 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Kaiya Chepow was tabbed the NFHCA Defensive and ACC Co-Defensive Player of the week after helping lead the Blue Devils to a 2-0 weekend in ACC play, highlighted by a 3-2 overtime triumph over then-No. 3 Wake Forest. Chepow collected seven total saves and posted a 0.90 GAA across the two games, tallying four stops against the Demon Deacons and three against the Eagles.
The Blue Devils are fourth in the NCAA in shutouts per game (0.56) and 10th in goals against average (0.94). Both marks lead the ACC.
In the ACC rankings, Duke is first in penalty corners (69) and penalty corners per game (7.76), and third in goals (27), assists (20), points (74) and save percentage (.750).

BY THE NUMBERS:

0.89: Kaiya Chepow's goals against average this season -- No. 1 in the ACC and No. 8 nationally
3: Players of the Week for Duke this season -- Julia Boehringer, Kaiya Chepow and Philine Klas
3.2: Penalty corners allowed per game, tied for the fifth fewest among NFHCA top-20 teams
4: Clean sheets for Kaiya Chepow in 2026
5: Shutouts by Duke's defense this season
5: Regular-season games left against current top-20 opponents
6: Goals scored by Ashley Stockdale this season -- No. 4 in the ACC
7.67: Penalty corners averaged by Duke per game -- No. 1 in the ACC and 10th in the NCAA
11: Different Blue Devil goal scorers in 2026
13: Goals coming off 69 penalty corners this season -- a 19 percent conversion rate
14: Points for junior Ashley Stockdale this season, five more than she had in all 21 games last year
17: Goals scored by the Blue Devils in the first half in 2026
48: Career goals by Alaina McVeigh, ninth in Duke history
114: Career points totaled by Alaina McVeigh, 10th on the Duke charts
357: Career wins for Pam Bustin, fourth all-time among active DI field hockey coaches

CHEPOW EARNS ACC, NFHCA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS:

Following a strong weekend in the cage, junior Kaiya Chepow was tabbed the NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 30) and the ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 29).
Chepow, the ACC's current leader in goals against average (0.89), shutouts (4) and shutouts per game (.444), helped lead the Blue Devils to a 2-0 weekend in conference action, including a thrilling, 3-2 come-from-behind overtime victory at then-No. 3 Wake Forest.
The Downingtown, Pennsylvania, product collected seven saves between the two games and secured her fourth clean sheet of the season - matching her total shutout count for all of 2025.
Chepow posted four saves against the Demon Deacons, including a crucial stop at the 71:39 mark of overtime to keep the game tied. Against the Eagles, she posted three saves while helping Duke's defense limit BC to just five shot attempts en route to its fifth shutout of 2026.

DUKE-SYRACUE SERIES HISTORY

Duke and Syracuse meet for the 19th time in the program's respective histories. Friday's matchup marks the 16th occasion the teams are squaring off as ranked opponents.
The Orange have won seven of the last 10 meetings and hold a 13-5 advantage in the all-time series. Three of the last four contests have been decided by one goal, including Syracuse's 1-0 win in 2025.
Prior to last season, Duke had won three straight against the Orange.

DUKE-SAINT JOSEPH'S SERIES HISTORY

Duke and Saint Joseph's face off for just the sixth time Sunday. The series between the two programs began in 1986 with three of the previous five meetings coming in the last decade. Duke owns a three-game advantage in the all-time series, 4-1.
The Hawks were victorious in the most recent matchup, claiming a 1-0 shootout victory in 2024. Overall, three of the five all-time meetings have been decided in extra time -- OT (2009), 2OT (2022), SO (2024).

AFTER NINE GAMES:

Winners of five straight games, Duke currently sits in first place in the ACC standings with a 7-2 overall record and a 3-0 mark in conference action. The team's 3-0 start to ACC play and five consecutive victories are program bests dating back to 2023 and 2024, respectively.
The Blue Devils are 2-2 against teams ranked in the NFHCA top 20. Duke's losses this season came in tightly-contested battles with current No. 1 Northwestern and No. 2 Maryland during the ACC/B1G Challenge.
Eleven different players have found with back of the net for Duke this season with seven owning multiple goals. Ashley Stockdale paces the offensive efforts with 14 points on six goals and two assists.
Duke's defense has been strong this season with five shutouts through nine games, while also holding five foes to less than five shot attempts. The team is allowing 7.9 shots and 3.2 penalty corners per game, the latter checking in as the fifth fewest among NFHCA top-20 teams.
The Blue Devils are fourth in the NCAA in shutouts per game (0.56) and 10th in goals against average (0.94). Both marks lead the ACC.
In the ACC rankings, Duke is first in penalty corners (69) and penalty corners per game (7.76), and third in goals (27), assists (20), points (74) and save percentage (.750).

WHAT GIVES?

Friday's game between the Blue Devils and Orange pits the ACC's No. 1 scoring defense in Duke (0.94 GAA) against the league's No. 2 scoring offense (3.25 GPG).
The Blue Devils have totaled five shutouts this season, including three in their last four games. Duke allows just 7.9 shots per contest, while Syracuse averages 14.1.
Overall, both teams do a good job of defending the cage, with the Orange and Blue Devils ranked in the top three among ACC teams in save percentage. Syracuse sits second at .755, while Duke charts third at .750.
The Orange have yet to be shutout through eight games this season, scoring a season-high 10 goals against Bucknell while netting at least two goals in six of the other seven games. Since giving up six goals during the ACC/B1G Challenge, Duke has allowed just three in the last five games.

SOLID DUKE DEFENSE:

Duke's defense has been solid during the 2026 season. The Blue Devils continuously bring relentless pressure in the midfield while forcing the opposition into tough or ill-advised passes.
The Blue Devils lead the ACC and rank 10th in the NCAA with a 0.94 goals against average. Duke's five shutouts on the year are currently tied for first in the conference, while the team's 0.56 shutouts per game average leads the ACC and ranks fourth nationally.
Part of Duke's success defensively is that the Blue Devils limit their opponent's chances to score, allowing just 7.9 shots per game. Duke has held six opponents to less than 10 shots and five teams to fewer than five attempts. Against Boston College this past Sunday, the Blue Devils held the Eagles without a shot for 40 minutes of game action and to just four attempts for the whole game.
When opponents are able to get a shot off, just over half of them (52 percent) get through to Kaiya Chepow.
The Blue Devils are allowing just 3.2 penalty corners per game, tied for the fifth-fewest among NFHCA top-20 teams.

UP NEXT:
Duke hits the road for its next four games, starting with a West Coast trip to the Golden State. The Blue Devils will take on Stanford (Oct. 9) and No. 20 California (Oct. 11) with both tilts streamed live on ACCNX.

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Duke Hosts Syracuse, Saint Joseph’s During Senior Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Julia Boehringer

Kaiya Chepow

Philine Klas

Alaina McVeigh

Ashley Stockdale

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Duke Hosts Syracuse, Saint Joseph’s During Senior Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Julia Boehringer

Kaiya Chepow

Philine Klas

Alaina McVeigh

Ashley Stockdale

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