Upcoming Event: Field Hockey versus #9 Virginia on September 18, 2026 at 6 p.m.
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6 p.m.
Field Hockey
vs #9 Virginia
Friday, September 18
Durham, N.C.
6 p.m.
Duke University
vs
Virginia
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Duke Opens ACC Play With Top-10 Clash Against Virginia
9/17/2026 11:37:00 AM | Field Hockey
THE OPENING HIT:
BY THE NUMBERS:
FAST STARTS:
SERIES HISTORIES:
AFTER SIX GAMES:
OFFENSIVE PENALTY CORNER SUCCESS:
JUNIOR JUMP: STOCKDALE BREAKING OUT
OFFENSIVE DEPTH ON FULL DISPLAY:
UP NEXT:
Duke continues ACC play, traveling to No. 4 Wake Forest (Sept. 25) before hosting Boston College (Sept. 27). The Blue Devils and Demon Deacons commence action at 5 p.m., while the matchup against the Eagles is slated for a 1 p.m., opening hit. Both contests will stream live on ACCNX.
#GoDuke
- No. 8 Duke dives into ACC play this weekend, opening the conference slate with a top-10 tilt against No. 9 Virginia. First hit is set for 6 p.m., live on ACC Network Extra.
- Friday's game against the UVA marks the Blue Devils' third contest against an opponent ranked in the NFHCA top 20. Duke has six more games against current top-20 foes.
- The Blue Devils are currently amid a span playing six of the next seven games at home. Duke kicked off the stretch this past weekend with a pair of convincing victories over James Madison (5-1) and VCU (4-0).
- Duke has spread around the wealth on offense this season with 10 different goal scorers. Five players have netted multiple goals on the year, led by Ashley Stockdale with six.
- The Blue Devils rank first in the ACC in total points (58) and points per game (9.67), second in total goals (22), third in goals per game (3.67) and fifth in assists (14).
BY THE NUMBERS:
- 0: Shots allowed by Duke's defense versus VCU Sunday
- 1: Duke's ACC ranking in total points (58) and points per game (9.67)
- 2: Shutouts by Kaiya Chepow in 2026
- 4: Assists by Alaina McVeigh this season -- No. 2 in the ACC
- 6: Goals scored by Ashley Stockdale this season -- No. 2 in the ACC
- 6: Remaining regular-season contests against top-20 opponents
- 7.50: Shots allowed per game by Duke this season after holding James Madison and VCU to a combined four attempts this past weekend
- 7.83: Penalty corners averaged by Duke per game -- No. 1 in the ACC and No. 10 in the NCAA
- 8: Duke's ranking in the Week 3 NFHCA poll
- 10: Goals coming off 54 penalty corners this season -- a 19 percent conversion rate
- 10: Different Blue Devil goal scorers in 2026
- 13: Points for junior Ashley Stockdale this season, four more than she had in all 21 games last year
- 16: Goals scored by the Blue Devils in the first half
- 48: Career goals by Alaina McVeigh, ninth in Duke history
- 114: Career points totaled by Alaina McVeigh, 10th on the Duke charts
- 354: 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 16 of their 22 goals across the 12 quarters.
- Duke has netted a goal during the opening 15 minutes in each of the first six games, including two first-quarter markers against William & Mary, Maryland and VCU.
- The Blue Devils have scored in the second period in four contests this season, highlighted by two goals versus William & Mary, Northwestern and James Madison.
- 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:
- Friday marks the 67th all-time meeting between Duke and Virginia. The Cavaliers lead the series, 43-23. Nine of the last 11 matchups have been decided by one goal, including five contests going into extra time.
- The Blue Devils' last win against UVA occurred Oct. 6, 2023, a 2-1 victory in overtime.
AFTER SIX GAMES:
- Duke enters the weekend with a 4-2 record after four games. Both losses have come in tightly-contested battles against current NFHCA top-10 teams: No. 1 Northwestern and No. 5 Maryland.
- The Blue Devils have found success on penalty corners with 10 of the squad's 22 goals coming via set pieces.
- Ashley Stockdale has emerged as a threat for the Blue Devils this season, scoring in five of Duke's first six contests. She currently paces the squad with six tallies and an assist for 13 points.
- Alaina McVeigh has been strong on set pieces and in the run of play with a team-best four assists - No. 2 in the ACC. She has scored three times this season and is second on the team with 10 points.
- Duke's defense has been strong, posting three shutouts on the year. The Blue Devils have held their opponents to fewer than 10 shots in four games, including three teams to less than five attempts. This past weekend, Duke didn't allow JMU to get a shot off for the first 46 minutes of game time, then held VCU without an attempt for the entire 60 minutes.
OFFENSIVE PENALTY CORNER SUCCESS:
- Duke has found some success on penalty corners in 2026, scoring 10 times off 54 set pieces (19 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.
- Stockdale and Schulten spearhead the scoring efforts on set pieces with four and three goals, respectively, while Kondrath, McVeigh and Rogers have also posted tallies.
- Duke currently ranks first in the ACC and 10th in the NCAA in penalty corners per game, averaging 9.50 per contest.
JUNIOR JUMP: STOCKDALE BREAKING OUT
- Ashley Stockdale has had a breakout junior campaign and emerged as a premier offensive threat for the Blue Devils this season. Described by head coach Pam Bustin as one of the team's hardest workers, Stockdale has taken her game up a notch following a solid sophomore year.
- The Darien, Connecticut, product kicked off the 2026 campaign with a career-high two goals in the season opener against William & Mary and has added four more tallies since. Overall, Stockdale has netted goals in five of the Blue Devils' six games this season.
- Stockdale paces Duke's offensive attack with 13 points (6g, 1a), with her goal and point totals ranking second and fifth, respectively, in the ACC.
- In just six games this season, Stockdale has already surpassed her entire scoring output from 2025, increasing her production level by 50 percent (goals) and 44 percent (assists), respectively.
OFFENSIVE DEPTH ON FULL DISPLAY:
- Duke's offensive depth has been on full display this season with 10 different players landing on the scoresheet. The Blue Devils' leading scorer for three straight seasons heading into 2026, Alaina McVeigh has only accounted for three of the team's 22 goals (14 percent).
- Ashley Stockdale leads the Blue Devils with six markers on the year, while Juliette Schulten has netted three. Adriana Ensani, Sofia Fidalgo Schioppa, Maggie Kondrath, Kyle Massey, Callie Rogers, Lily Soldan and Shae Wozniak round out the goal scorers with one apiece.
- Duke has converted 10 of its 22 tallies from penalty corners with Schulten (3) and Stockdale (4) carrying the scoring load on set pieces.
- Fourteen of the Blue Devils' 22 goals this season have been assisted. Seven different players have combined for the helpers, led by McVeigh with four dimes. Madison Beach, Julia Boehringer (2), Ensani, Fidalgo Schioppa, Rogers and Soldan (3) have also contributed assists.
- In the ACC team statistics, Duke ranks first in total points (58) and points per game (9.67), second in total goals (22), third in goals per game (3.67) and fifth in assists (14).
UP NEXT:
Duke continues ACC play, traveling to No. 4 Wake Forest (Sept. 25) before hosting Boston College (Sept. 27). The Blue Devils and Demon Deacons commence action at 5 p.m., while the matchup against the Eagles is slated for a 1 p.m., opening hit. Both contests will stream live on ACCNX.
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
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