Duke Prevails Over Louisville in Defensive Battle

Saturday, October 17

Louisville, Ky.

1 p.m.

Duke University

(10-3, 5-1)

Louisville

(9-5, 3-2)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Duke	1	0	0	0	1
Louisville	0	0	0	0	0

No. 3 Duke outlasts No. 14 Cal with shootout win, 3-2

Photo by: Andrew Madsen/Cal Athletics

Duke Prevails Over Louisville in Defensive Battle

10/17/2026 3:28:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No. 8 Duke picked up its fifth consecutive win over a ranked opponent this season, as the Blue Devils prevailed over No. 16 Louisville, 1-0, in a Saturday afternoon ACC field hockey grudge match.

Graduate student Alaina McVeigh's first-period goal proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. On the defensive end, Duke (11-3, 6-1 ACC) held Louisville (9-6, 3-3 ACC) scoreless for the third time this season. Graduate student Philine Klas tallied her second defensive save of the season, while junior goalkeeper Kaiya Chepow collected three saves en route to helping the Blue Devils secure their seventh shutout on the year.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

McVeigh opened the scoring in the sixth minute with her seventh goal of the season. After earning a penalty corner, junior Julia Boehringer pushed her drag flick back to McVeigh on the baseline for the one-time redirect and a 1-0 Blue Devil lead at 5:54.
Louisville earned five penalty corners during the opening stanza, but Duke canceled each set-piece attempt, highlighted by a defensive save by Klas at the 8:23 mark – her second of the season.
The Blue Devils were kept out of their offensive third for the majority of the second quarter, tallying one shot and earning just one attacking penalty corner. On the other end of the field, Duke continued to play solid defense and limit Louisville's offensive chances, with Chepow turning back the one shot on target she faced.
Both defenses held serve in the third quarter, with each goalie earning saves during the 15-minute session. Louisville held the edge on offense, finishing the period with a 4-1 shot advantage, but the Blue Devils maintained their one-goal lead.
Stout defense in the fourth quarter helped seal the victory for Duke. The Blue Devils shut down an early Louisville penalty corner, before Chepow notched her third save of the game shortly after. Additionally, Duke thwarted any chance of a Cardinals' equalizer after the home team pulled the goalie for an extra player. The Blue Devils didn't allow Louisville to create anything offensively down the stretch and ran out the clock to secure the win.

GAME NOTES:

Duke moves to 11-3 overall and 6-1 in ACC action. The Blue Devils are now 5-2 against ranked opponents this season. The six ACC victories are tied for the most conference wins in program lore and are the most by the Blue Devils since 2024.
Duke wins its fifth straight over Louisville and improves to 17-9 all-time against the Cardinals.
Pam Bustin collects her 199th win at Duke and the 361st of her career.
McVeigh scored a goal in her fourth consecutive game and pushes her season total to seven markers. She now owns 19 points this season (7g, 5a) and needs just one more to become the sixth Duke player all-time to post 20 points in each of her four seasons.
The Blue Devils post their seventh clean sheet of the season, with Chepow earning her sixth.
Boehringer's assist marked her third of the season and pushes her season point total to nine on three goals and three assists.

UP NEXT:
Duke wraps up the non-conference portion of its schedule Oct. 25 with a trip to Lynchburg, Virginia, to take on No. 14 Liberty. The opening pass back is set for 1 p.m., with the game streaming live on ESPN+.

#GoDuke