Blue Devils Take On Boston College in ACC Quarterfinals

THE OPENING PASS BACK:

Duke kicks off postseason action Tuesday evening in the 2026 ACC Championship. The No. 3 seed Blue Devils square off against No. 6 seed Boston College at 6 p.m. on ACC Network.
The Blue Devils head into the week ranked sixth in the NFHCA top-20 poll and sixth in the latest edition of the RPI rankings. Duke finished the regular season with a 12-4 ledger and earned a share of the ACC regular season title with a 6-2 mark in conference play.
Duke's defense has been solid this season posting seven shutouts, while also holding nine foes to five shots or less. The team allows 8.2 shots and 3.4 penalty corners per game, the latter tied for the third-fewest among NFHCA top-20 clubs. Duke is No. 7 in the NCAA in shutouts per game (0.44) and 15th in goals against average (1.22) -- first and second, respectively, in the ACC.
Offensively, Duke has featured 12 different goal scorers this season with seven different players owning multiple tallies. McVeigh (8g, 7a) is the team's top scorer with 23 points, followed by Julia Boehringer (6g, 3a) and Ashley Stockdale (6g, 3a) with 15 points apiece.
Pam Bustin collected her fourth ACC Coach of the Year honor, while five Blue Devils garnered All-ACC recognition -- Julia Boehringer, Kaiya Chepow, Alaina McVeigh, Callie Rogers and Juliette Schulten.

BY THE NUMBERS:

3: Duke's seed in the 2026 ACC Championship
3.4: Penalty corners allowed per game, tied with Maryland and Miami (OH) for the fewest among NFHCA top-20 teams
4: ACC Coach of the Year awards for Pam Bustin -- 2011, 2016, 2023, 2026
4: Players of the Week for Duke this season -- Madison Beach, Julia Boehringer, Kaiya Chepow (2x) and Philine Klas
5: Duke All-ACC Selections in 2026 -- Julia Boehringer, Kaiya Chepow, Alaina McVeigh, Callie Rogers, Juliette Schulten
6: Duke's current NCAA RPI ranking
6: Clean sheets for junior goalkeeper Kaiya Chepow in 2026
7: Shutouts by Duke's defense this season
7.56: Penalty corners averaged by Duke per game -- No. 1 in the ACC and eighth in the NCAA
8.2: Shots allowed per game by the Duke defense
9: Opponents held to five shots or less by Duke on the year
12: Different Blue Devil goal scorers in 2026
15: Points for junior Ashley Stockdale this season, six more than she had in all 21 games last year
20: Goals coming off 121 penalty corners this season -- a 17 percent conversion rate
23: Points for Alaina McVeigh this season (8g, 7a), making her the sixth Duke player all-time to total 20-plus points in all four seasons as a Blue Devil
23: Goals scored by the Blue Devils in the first half in 2026
27: Combined points by the sophomore quartet of Sofia Fidalgo Schioppa, Juliette Schulten, Lily Soldan and Shae Wozniak -- nine more than they had in 21 games last year
32: 10-win seasons for Duke field hockey all-time
53: Career goals scored by Alaina McVeigh, eighth in Duke history
127: Career points for Alaina McVeigh, tied for eighth all-time at Duke
200: Victories at Duke for head coach Pam Bustin
362: Career wins for Pam Bustin, fourth all-time among active DI field hockey coaches

RECAPPING THE 2026 REGULAR SEASON:

Duke finished the regular season with a 12-4 overall record and a 6-2 mark in ACC action. Three of the Blue Devils' four losses came against current NFHCA top-20 teams -- No. 1 Northwestern (3-4 OT), No. 2 Maryland (2-3 SO) and No. 10 North Carolina (1-2).
Duke's defense has been strong this season, posting seven shutouts and holding nine foes to five shots or less. The team allowed 8.2 shots and 3.4 penalty corners per game, the latter mark tied for the third-fewest among NFHCA top-20 teams. The Blue Devils are seventh in the NCAA in shutouts per game (0.44) and 15th in goals against average (1.23). Those marks rank first and second, respectively, in the ACC.
Alaina McVeigh paced the offensive with eight goals and seven assists for 23 points, followed by Julia Boehringer and Ashley Stockdale with 15 points each. Both Boehringer and Stockdale have tallied six goals and three assists on the year.

DUKE IN THE ACC CHAMPIONSHIP:

Duke makes its 44th appearance in the ACC Championship and its ninth as the No. 3 seed. The Blue Devils are 22-43 overall and 5-9 as the third seed.
When playing in the first round/quarterfinal, Duke has won three straight and owns an 18-17 ledger overall.

SOLID DUKE DEFENSE:

Duke's defense has been solid during the 2026 season, continuously bringing relentless pressure up-and-down the field and forcing the opposition into tough or ill-advised passes.
The Blue Devils boast one of the ACC's top scoring defenses, leading the league while ranking seventh in the NCAA with an average of 0.44 shutouts per game. Duke's 1.23 goals against average is second in the ACC and checks in at 15th nationally, with the seven shutouts tied for second in the conference.
Part of the Blue Devils' success defensively is that they limit the opponent's chances to score, allowing 8.2 shots per game. Duke has held 10 opponents to less than 10 shots and nine teams to fewer than five attempts. When opponents are able to get a shot off, just over half (.542) get through to junior goalkeeper Kaiya Chepow.
The Blue Devils are allowing just 3.4 penalty corners per game, tied for the third-fewest among NFHCA top-20 teams. Only Miami (OH) (3.2), Maryland (3.2) and Indiana (3.3) allow fewer set pieces per contest.

DUKE-BOSTON COLLEGE SERIES HISTORY

The Blue Devils and Eagles meet for their 31st all-time meeting Tuesday. Duke owns an 18-12 record in the series between the two programs.
Duke and Boston College have split the last 10 matchups down the middle, with each side going 5-5. The Blue Devils have had the more recent success winning four of the last five contests.
The Blue Devils prevailed in the 2026 regular season tilt, downing Boston College, 1-0, in Durham back on Sept. 27.

UP NEXT:
With a win, No. 3 seed Duke advances to the ACC quarterfinals to take on the winner of No. 2 seed Wake Forest and No. 7 seed Virginia. Action is set for Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 3:30 p.m., live on ACC Network.

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Players Mentioned

Madison Beach

Julia Boehringer

Kaiya Chepow

Sofia Fidalgo Schioppa

Philine Klas

Alaina McVeigh

Callie Rogers

Juliette Schulten

Lily Soldan

Ashley Stockdale

Shae Wozniak

Duke information