No. 9 Blue Devils Host James Madison, VCU

Friday, September 11

Durham, N.C.

5 p.m.

Duke University

James Madison

Duke FH players celebrate following Callie Rogers' first career goal

No. 9 Blue Devils Host James Madison, VCU

9/10/2026 12:20:00 PM | Field Hockey

Game Notes (PDF)Live Stats Watch (JMU)Watch (VCU)

THE OPENING HIT:

Duke is at home for six of its next seven games, starting with a weekend set against James Madison and VCU. The Blue Devils face the Dukes Sept. 11 at 5 p.m., then take on the Rams at 1 p.m., Sept. 13. Both games will air on ACCNX.
In the all-time series' against JMU and VCU, Duke boasts a combined record of 35-17-1. The Blue Devils are 24-12-1 against the Dukes and 11-5 versus the Rams.
The 2026 season has seen a wealth of scoring options for the Blue Devils, led by Ashley Stockdale with five goals. Juliette Schulten (3), Alaina McVeigh (2), Maggie Kondrath (1), Kyle Massey (1) and Callie Rogers (1) have also scored.
Duke checks in at No. 9 in the NFHCA poll after falling in a pair of tight-knit matchups to No. 1 Northwestern (3-4 OT) and current No. 7 Maryland (2-3 SO) at the ACC/B1G Challenge this past weekend. Three of the top-10 teams in the rankings are from the ACC.

BY THE NUMBERS:

3: Players from North Carolina -- Alessia Cicuto, Adriana Ensani and Callie McCarron -- on the Blue Devil roster
4: Assists by Alaina McVeigh this season -- No. 1 in the ACC
5: Goals scored by Ashley Stockdale this season -- No. 2 in the ACC
6: Different Duke goal scorers this season
7: Remaining regular-season contests against top-20 opponents
8: Newcomers -- five freshmen and three transfers -- to the Duke program in 2026
9: Goals coming off 37 penalty corners this season -- a 24 percent conversion rate
9.50: Penalty corners averaged by Duke per game -- No. 1 in the ACC and No. 5 in the NCAA
10: Saves by Kaiya Chepow versus Northwestern, a career high
10: First-half goals scored by the Blue Devils this season
17: Letterwinners returning from the 2025 squad
47: Career goals by Alaina McVeigh, ninth in Duke history
79: Percent of assists retained from 2025
90: Percent of scoring retained from 2025
112: Career points totaled by Alaina McVeigh, 10th on the Duke charts
352: Career wins for Pam Bustin, fourth all-time among active DI field hockey coaches

FAST STARTS:

The Blue Devils have come out strong in the opening halves this season, scoring 10 goals across the eight quarters.
Duke scored twice in the first quarter against William & Mary before adding two more in the second frame. The Blue Devils tallied the game's lone goal in the opening quarter at Richmond.
This past weekend at the ACC/B1G Challenge, Duke tallied one goal in the first stanza and two more in the second in Friday's game against Northwestern. In Sunday's matchup with Maryland, the Blue Devils netted two goals in the first 15 minutes.
Duke's three tallies against the Wildcats marked the 44th time the Blue Devils have scored at least three goals against a top-20 opponent under head coach Pam Bustin.

SERIES HISTORIES:

Duke and James Madison square off for the 38th time Friday with the Blue Devils holding a 24-12-1 record in the all-time series. Nine of the last 10 meetings have gone Duke's way, including a 5-0 win last season.
Sunday's tilt between the Blue Devils and Rams marks the 17th all-time meeting. Duke leads the series 11-5 and is 9-1 over the last 10 matchups. Last season, the Blue Devils blanked the Rams, 3-0.
Head coach Pam Bustin owns a combined 14-2 record against the programs. At Duke, she is 10-1 against JMU and 2-0 versus VCU.

AFTER FOUR GAMES:

Duke enters the weekend with a 2-2 record after four games. Both losses have come in tightly-contested battles against current NFHCA top-10 teams: No. 1 Northwestern and No. 7 Maryland.
The Blue Devils have found success on penalty corners with nine of the squad's 13 goals coming via set pieces.
Ashley Stockdale has emerged as a threat for the Blue Devils this season, breaking out offensively in her junior season. She has scored in each of Duke's four contests and currently paces the squad with five goals for 10 points -- second and first in the ACC, respectively. With her five markers, Stockdale has already surpassed her goal total from a season ago (four goals in 21 games).
Alaina McVeigh has been strong on set pieces and in the run of play with a team and ACC-leading four assists. She has found the back of the net twice this season and is second on the team with eight points.

OFFENSIVE PENALTY CORNER SUCCESS:

Duke has found early success on penalty corners in 2026, scoring nine times off 37 penalty corners (24 percent). The Blue Devils have tallied goals in a variety of manners -- finding players on the post, off drag flicks from the top and on redirects.
Schulten and Stockdale spearhead the scoring efforts on set pieces with three goals each, while Kondrath, McVeigh and Rogers have also posted tallies.
Duke currently ranks first in the ACC and fifth in the NCAA in penalty corners per game, averaging 9.50 per contest.

LAST DANCE FOR MIGHTY MCVEIGH:

Graduate student Alaina McVeigh is back in a Blue Devil uniform for her final season of collegiate field hockey. After missing her freshman season to injury, McVeigh had a breakout 2023 season that culminated in ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors and a spot on the NFHCA All-America First Team. A three-time NFHCA All-American and All-ACC First Team pick for her career, McVeigh has been exemplary in her three full seasons on the turf and heads into 2026 looking to close her Duke career with a bang.
Entering the 2026 campaign, the Lansdale, Pennsylvania, standout paced the Blue Devils in scoring and accumulated at least 20 points in three consecutive seasons. She has netted a goal in 37 of 68 career games, including 11 multi-goal outings.
This season, McVeigh is currently second on the team with eight points on two goals and four assists. She dished a career-high two helpers in the season opener against William & Mary and is 44 percent of the way from matching her assist total from the 2025 season.
McVeigh has already etched her name in the Duke lore, with a higher climb up the program charts inevitable. The two-time team captain and ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year is just the fourth Blue Devil all-time to net double-digit markers in each of her first three seasons at Duke and one of only six players to accumulate at least 20 points in each of their first three years at Duke. McVeigh is also one of just 13 players in Duke history to reach the century mark.
McVeigh was named to the 2026 USA Field Hockey Women's National Team back in May, joining former Blue Devils and USAFH veterans Leah Crouse and Jillian Wolgemuth.

OFFENSIVE DEPTH ON FULL DISPLAY:

Duke's offensive depth has been on full display this season with six different players landing on the scoresheet. The Blue Devils' leading scorer for three straight seasons heading into 2026, Alaina McVeigh has only accounted for two of the team's 13 goals (15 percent).
Ashley Stockdale leads the Blue Devils with five markers on the year, while Juliette Schulten has netted three. Maggie Kondrath, Kyle Massey and Callie Rogers round out the goal scorers with one goal apiece.
Duke has converted nine of its 13 tallies from penalty corners with Schulten (3) and Stockdale (3) carrying the scoring load on set pieces.
Ten of the Blue Devils' 13 goals this season have been assisted. Seven different players have combined for the helpers, led by McVeigh with four dimes. Madison Beach, Julia Boehringer, Adriana Ensani, Sofia Fidalgo Schioppa, Rogers and Lily Soldan have also contributed assists.

UP NEXT:
The Blue Devils gear up for their third top-15 matchup of the year, welcoming No. 11 Virginia to Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium for the ACC opener. First hit is slated for 5 p.m., with the game airing live on ACCNX.

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