B1G/ACC CUP - LANCASTER, PA. |
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke hits the road for the second consecutive week, traveling to the home of USA Field Hockey in Lancaster, Pa., to take part in the inaugural B1G/ACC Cup. Tabbed fifth in the most recent national poll, the Blue Devils will take on a pair of ranked Big Ten opponents in No. 10 Northwestern and No. 3 Maryland.
Quick Hits
The Blue Devils went 2-1 against teams from the Big Ten last season and are 33-54-4 historically against Big Ten opponents … Duke is 22-7 following a loss during head coach Pam Bustin's tenure in Durham … Following last weekend's season opener against California in Stanford, Calif., Duke heads to Lancaster, Pa., for its second and third neutral site contests of the season.
By the Numbers
3 - Ranked opponents Duke will have faced in its first four contests, following this weekend's action
8 - Points totaled by sophomore Ashley Kristen in the win over California, tied for the seventh most by a Duke player in a single game
15 - Saves tallied by redshirt senior goalkeeper Lauren Blazing in Duke's first two contests, including 13 against No. 6 Stanford
6 - Blue Devils who hail from the state of Pennsylvania - Morgan Bitting (Hummelstown), Hunter Bracale (Hummelstown), Alyssa Chillano (Phoenixville), Heather Morris (Pottstown), Christy Palazzese (Berwyn) and Sammi Steele (Eagleville)
2-1 - Score of Duke's last meeting with Northwestern, which came in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament
Field Set for Inaugural B1G/ACC Cup
A quartet of nationally ranked teams will head to the home of USA Field Hockey in Lancaster, Pa., for the inaugural B1G/ACC Cup at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex ... Fifth-ranked Duke and 13th-ranked Boston College will represent the ACC while No. 3 Maryland and No. 10 Northwestern will join from the Big Ten ... Live stats will be available for all four contests ... For ticket information, visit http://www.spookynooksports.com/schedule/b1g-acc-cup.
Northwestern Series History
The Blue Devils will take on the Wildcats for the fourth-straight year and seventh time overall Friday in Lancaster ... The series is tied at 3-3 following an NCAA second round meeting won by Duke last November in Chapel Hill, N.C. ... Duke is 1-1 all-time when facing Northwestern at a neutral site.
Scouting the Wildcats
Tenth-ranked Northwestern kicked off its 2015 slate by splitting a pair of contests at home last weekend ... The squad fell to top-ranked Connecticut, 4-1, in the season opener before defeating Northeastern by a 4-1 score ... The Wildcats return 17 letterwinners from the 2014 campaign, which saw them post a 16-7 record, win the Big Ten tournament title and receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament ... Senior back Lisa McCarthy and senior midfielders Charlotte Martin and Caroline Troncelliti were all named Players to Watch by the Big Ten heading into the season.
Maryland Series History
Duke and the Terrapins have not met since the semifinals of the 2013 NCAA Tournament, when the Blue Devils posted a 3-2 victory to advance to the national championship game ... The teams will square off for the first time since Maryland moved to the Big Ten ... The Terrapins lead the all-time series by a 32-9-3 margin and have won eight of the last 10 meetings ... Duke is 2-7 historically when facing Maryland on a neutral turf.
Scouting the Terrapins
Maryland heads to Lancaster sporting a 2-0 record to start the year ... Tabbed third in the NFHCA preseason poll, the Terrapins are coming off of wins over Temple (4-2) and Saint Joseph's (6-2) ... Midfielder Anna Dessoye and forward Linnea Gonzales picked up Big Ten weekly honors for their performances in the two contests ... Five different players have combined to score the 10 goals for Maryland so far this fall.
Blue Devils vs. the Big Ten
The Duke program is 33-54-4 all-time against teams currently in the Big Ten Conference ... The Blue Devils went 2-1 against Big Ten opponents last season, defeating Michigan State and Northwestern and falling to Indiana.
Kristen Posts Breakout Game vs. Cal
Sophomore forward Ashley Kristen notched the first hat trick of her career in the Blue Devils' season-opening victory over California ... The Vancouver, British Columbia native sparked the attack with three goals, including two inside the first 40 minutes ... She also added two assists for a career-high eight points ... Kristen's eight points tied for the seventh-highest single-game output in program history and were the most by a Duke player since Amie Survilla had eight against New Hamphire Sept. 27, 2009.
Tough Slate on Tap in 2015
Duke's 2015 schedule features 11 teams ranked in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I preseason poll, including three of the top four squads in No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Maryland and No. 4 Syracuse ... The slate includes two of last year's NCAA semifinalists and 11 opponents who were selected to the 2014 NCAA Tournament field ... Following this weekend's action, the Blue Devils will have faced ranked teams in three of their first four contests.
Against Ranked Opponents
Since 2013, Duke has gone 17-14 against ranked teams ... The Blue Devils went 6-6 against ranked foes last season.
One-Goal Games
Over the past three seasons, Duke has compiled a 16-11 ledger in games decided by one goal ... The Blue Devils dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to No. 6 Stanford last weekend.
Blazing Her Way Up Career Charts
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Lauren Blazing enters her final season ranked among the Blue Devils' career leaders in several categories ... Blazing owns a career record of 36-23 in her four years as Duke's starting goalkeeper.
Blazing in the Duke Record Books:
Saves |
8th |
299 |
Save Percentage |
8th |
.763 |
Goals Against Average |
4th |
1.54 |
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