Biancardi's Five Points Lead No. 14 Duke Past High Point, 14-6

Friday, February 6

High Point, NC

4 PM

Duke University

1-0

High Point

0-1

Duke Blue Devils

High Point Panthers

Photo by: Nat LeDonne / Duke Athletics

Biancardi's Five Points Lead No. 14 Duke Past High Point, 14-6

2/6/2026 7:47:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

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HIGH POINT, N.C. – Redshirt junior Ava Biancardi recorded five points, while freshman Quinn Whitaker and sophomore Sadie Stafford each tallied hat-tricks as the 14th-ranked Blue Devils opened the 2026 season with a 14-6 victory over High Point Friday evening at Vert Stadium.

Along with Biancardi, Whitaker and Stafford, Duke had three other Blue Devils log three or more points – redshirt senior Eva Pronti (3), junior Bella Goodwin (3) and sophomore Avery Doran (4). Defensively, Duke held the advantage in caused turnovers, 14-6, led by Stafford's three. Sophomore Amanda Paci, senior Sydney Smith, Goodwin and junior Caitlin Barrett each added two, while Paci also paced Duke on ground balls with three of the Blue Devils' 18.

Duke (1-0) dominated the draw circle, earning 16 controls – including 11 from junior Ellie White – while limiting High Point (0-1) to six.

How It Happened

The Blue Devils opened the game on a 5-0 run that stretched into the second quarter. Duke and the Panthers traded possessions early before Stafford opened the scoring off a feed from Biancardi at the 9:10 mark. Just over two minutes later, Biancardi found the back of the cage off a helper from Doran to give Duke a 2-0 lead with 7:57 remaining in the opening stanza.
Redshirt freshman Hope Schoudel helped keep the Panthers off the board with a save, while Duke pushed its lead to 4-0 to close out the first 15 minutes. Whitaker scored her first career goal off a Doran assist, and Stafford converted a free-position attempt.
Duke kept its momentum heading into the second frame, as Goodwin scored just 25 seconds in.
The Blue Devils held High Point without a goal for 19:16, with the Panthers' first tally coming at the 10:44 mark of the second quarter. Duke answered with goals from Goodwin and sophomore Maddie MacDonald, both off Biancardi feeds, to extend the margin to 7-1. High Point added two goals in the final five minutes of the half, sending Duke into the locker room with a 7-3 advantage.
Defensively, Stafford, Smith and Paci garnered two caused turnovers apiece in the first 30 minutes. Duke held the 11-9 edge in ground balls, a 10-7 advantage in caused turnovers and forced the Panthers into 11 giveaways.
Duke opened the third quarter seeing goals from Biancardi 54 seconds into the frame, followed by Pronti feeding Stafford for her third goal of the evening to push the Blue Devils advantage, 9-3. High Point answered at the 8:39 mark, but Whitaker responded off a Pronti helper to make it 10-4 heading into the final quarter, sparking a 3-0 Duke run.
Whitaker completed her hat trick 35 seconds into the fourth, and Pronti finished a Stafford assist to extend Duke's lead to 12-4. The Panthers snapped the run with 11:37 remaining.
Doran scored her first goal of the season with 4:16 left in regulation, and junior Reese Woodworth added a goal at the 3:29 mark to give Duke a 14-5 edge. High Point scored the final goal with 35 seconds remaining to round out the 14-6 Blue Devils triumph.

Notes

Head coach Kerstin Kimel earned her 365th career victory and 359th win at Duke.
Duke posted its sixth consecutive win over High Point.
The Blue Devils extended their lead in the all-time series to 8-1.
Duke improved to 28-2 in season-opening contests.
Whitaker, Pronti and Schoudel made their first career starts, while Doran, graduate McKenzie Olsen, freshman Cat LeTendre and freshman Caroline Doyle made their Duke debuts.
Paci matched a career-high three ground balls.
Stafford posted a career-best four points on three goals and one assist.
Goodwin matched a career-high two ground balls and set a personal best with two caused turnovers.
White recorded 11 draw controls to match a career high.
Barrett matched a career-best two caused turnovers.
Biancardi posted a career-high five points, matching her career-best marks of two goals and three assists.