Duke Opens 2026 Campaign at High Point

The Opening Draw

The 14th-ranked Duke women's lacrosse team opens the 2026 campaign on the road at High Point Feb. 6 for a 4 p.m., matchup. It marks the ninth all-time meeting between Duke and High Point, with the Blue Devils holding a 7-1 series advantage.
Duke is coming off a successful 2025 season, posting a 14-6 overall record and a 6-3 mark in conference play — its most wins in both categories since 2022. The Blue Devils finished the year ranked No. 9 in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll.
The Blue Devils concluded the 2025 campaign with an 11-9 loss to Florida in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals. Duke earned wins over James Madison (17–10) and fifth-seeded Virginia (17–9) to advance to the quarterfinals, marking the program's first appearance in that round since 2021.
Duke returns 23 letterwinners and seven starters in 2026. On the offensive end, the Blue Devils return junior Bella Goodwin and redshirt senior Eva Pronti. Defensively, Duke welcomes back its starting back line of sophomore Amanda Paci, senior Madison Beale, senior Sydney Smith and sophomore Mabel Overbeck.

By the Numbers

14 – Duke's IWLCA preseason ranking

23 – Returning letterwinners

7 – Returning starters

7-1 – Duke's lead in the all-time series versus High Point

14 – Overall wins in 2025, the program's most since posting 16 in 2022

6 – ACC wins in 2025, the most since 2022

31st – Season at the helm for head coach Kerstin Kimel

362 – Career victories for Kimel, including 358 at Duke

14 – Duke's IWLCA preseason ranking

6 – Matchups this season against teams that advanced to the 2025 NCAA Championship

1 – USA Lacrosse Preseason All-America honoree in Pronti

Duke in the Polls

Duke begins the 2026 season ranked in multiple top-25 preseason polls. The Blue Devils earned the No. 14 spot in the IWLCA poll, while checking in at No. 17 in the USA Lacrosse rankings and No. 15 by Inside Lacrosse.

Duke Versus High Point

The Blue Devils meet the Panthers for the ninth time in program history, leading the all-time series, 7-1.
Duke is currently on a five-game win streak against High Point.
The Blue Devils' most recent victory over the Panthers came last season, a 17–6 win in Durham.

Scouting the Panthers

High Point concluded the 2025 campaign with a 12-6 overall record and a 7-1 mark in conference play, with the season ending in the Big South Championship game.
Shannon Smith returns after finishing second on the team with 55 goals last season. Top distributor Reese Dowgiallo also returns after posting a team-leading 38 assists in 2025.
Defensively, the Panthers bring back Julia Dustin, who led the team with 33 caused turnovers a season ago. Ava Welsh also returns in goal after starting every game in 2025 and posting a .430 save percentage.

A Win Over High Point Would…

Mark Kimel's 365th career win and her 359th win at Duke
Give Duke its sixth consecutive win over High Point and extend the all-time series lead to 8-1
Mark the Blue Devils' second straight season-opening victory
Improve Duke to 28-2 all-time in season-opening games

Up Next

The Blue Devils remain on the road, traveling to Pittsburgh Feb. 12 for a 2 p.m., conference matchup.

For more information on Duke women's lacrosse, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "DukeWLAX".

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