Duke Tops Wildcats, 2-1, to Reach NCAA 2nd Round

Saturday, November 15

Chapel Hill, N.C.

2:00 PM

Duke University

Northwestern (NCAA First Round)

Duke Tops Wildcats, 2-1, to Reach NCAA 2nd Round

11/15/2014 5:10:00 PM | Field Hockey

By: Duke Sports Information

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Duke field hockey team will play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season after advancing with a 2-1 defeat of No. 7 Northwestern Saturday afternoon at North Carolina's Francis E. Henry Stadium. The ninth-ranked Blue Devils (13-6) will meet top seed North Carolina on the Tar Heels' home turf Sunday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m., with the winner moving on to next weekend's NCAA semifinals in College Park, Md.

“We came out on fire and I thought it was some of the best hockey we've played all year in how we moved the ball and how we played together,” said head coach Pam Bustin. “We knew that Northwestern was going to try to change it up and be a little more aggressive second half, and definitely it affected our vibe coming out. But I was really proud of how we kept strong and held to the simple and we were able to withstand their pressure second half.”

After the Wildcats opened the contest with a penalty corner opportunity in the first minute, Duke responded by breaking into the circle on the other end and launching a pair of shots at the cage. Northwestern goalkeeper Maddy Carpenter made stops on offerings from freshman Ashley Kristen and junior Aileen Johnson to keep the score at 0-0.

Kristen fueled the attack over the next several minutes, placing two more shots on goal. The Blue Devils also drew four penalty corners and notched seven more shots before senior forward Jessica Buttinger capitalized on a fast break by Kristen, spinning and shooting in the back corner of the cage to put Duke ahead 1-0 at the 24:39 mark.

Freshman Alyssa Chillano made it 2-0 in the final minute of the half, scoring on a penalty corner play with Johnson assisting from the wing. The Blue Devils carried that lead into the locker room at the break and also held a 17-1 advantage in shots after the first 35 minutes. Penalty corners were also in Duke's favor at 6-1.

“The whole forward line really played together,” Bustin said. “They created a lot of opportunities first half. I think with all of those opportunities I'd like to see a few more points on the board. But they kept with it and stayed on it and we had just enough of what we needed to finish the day.”

The Blue Devils continued to control possession in the second period until the Wildcats got on the board in the 48th minute on a penalty corner opportunity. Duke goalkeeper Lauren Blazing made the initial save on the play but Northwestern's Lisa McCarthy put back the rebound to cut it to a one-goal game.

Bustin's squad shored up its defense following the score, but the Wildcats created a couple of dangerous opportunities late in the contest after Duke's Abby Beltrani was sent off the field for five minutes with a yellow card. Northwestern pulled Carpenter from the cage with 5:23 left on the clock in an effort to push forward. However, the Blue Devils featured solid play in the back field the rest of the way, sending the team to the 2-1 victory.

“We were really happy, especially with the first half,” Buttinger said. “The second half we still took it to them, but I think there were more lapses in our play. Going into tomorrow, we want to play our game like we did in the first half throughout the whole game.”

Duke concluded the game with a 19-6 advantage in shots and totaled seven penalty corners on the day to two by the Wildcats. Blazing recorded four saves in the win while Carpenter had 11 stops at the other end for Northwestern, which closes out its 2014 season at 16-7.

Live video and live stats will be available for Sunday's NCAA second round contest.

#GoDuke