Chillano Posts Hat Trick in 7-0 Shutout of Longwood

Sunday, October 4

Durham, N.C.

2:00 PM

Duke University

Longwood

Chillano Posts Hat Trick in 7-0 Shutout of Longwood

10/4/2015 4:16:00 PM | Field Hockey

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – The Blue Devils tallied three goals inside the first 10 minutes to set the tone in a 7-0 shutout of Longwood Sunday at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium. Sophomore back Alyssa Chillano turned in the first hat trick of her career and four other Duke players added scores to help the squad improve to 8-3 overall.

Duke collected its second consecutive shutout after holding No. 9 Louisville scoreless in a 2-0 victory Friday evening. The defense held the Lancers (4-6) to just three shots on the afternoon and surrendered only two penalty corners.

“We've just locked into the discipline of what it takes to play good defense for 70 minutes,” said head coach Pam Bustin. “We're playing opponents that are going to challenge it, and we just have to meet that challenge with good discipline and that doesn't change. There's a consistent way you've got to hold the backfield, and even from the pressing lines, making sure we're consistent in our mentality to press. Once we do that, the team connects and it creates some attacking opportunities for us.”

For the second time in as many contests, junior Hunter Bracale found the back of the cage just a few minutes in to give the Blue Devils an early advantage. The midfielder from Hummelstown, Pa., secured a loose ball near the top of the circle and fired for her fifth score of the season. Chillano converted on a penalty corner opportunity less than three minutes later, with seniors Amanda Kim and Aileen Johnson providing assists. The goal was Chillano's first of the year.

Duke capitalized a third time in the opening 10 minutes when freshman Morgan Bitting sent a ball from the baseline inside to sophomore Ashley Kristen, who put it away for the fifth time on the fall. Longwood goalkeeper Lauren Bernard came up with several saves in response to the barrage of shots, but the Blue Devils scored again off a corner in the 28th minute. Chillano notched her second off a pass from Johnson to make it 4-0, Duke at the intermission.

“We've been working on our attack mentality, whether we have the ball or don't have the ball,” Bustin said. “They did a good job of recognizing the structure of the opponent and then still making the ball do the work – being there for your teammates, so numbers around the ball … Alyssa really came through with some good goals today.”

The Lancers sent Katie Wyman into the cage at the start of the second half and challenged for more possessions on the offensive end. The Blue Devils were relentless in attacking the circle, however, and sophomore Alexa Mackintire took advantage of a chaotic play in front of the cage to register her second goal of the season on a rebound.

Chillano completed her hat trick on a penalty corner in the 58th minute, and junior forward Heather Morris followed suit before the end of regulation. Bitting and fellow freshman Christy Palazzese both earned assists on the two scores.

“This has been really important for us,” Bustin said. “We've learned some hard lessons through our losses and made some adjustments even through our wins, and we've taken them into our training weeks. I'm really happy for the kids to come out and embrace the fact that we are home, and take care of some good wins while we're here.”

For the contest, Duke placed 19 of its 28 shots on cage and generated a season-high 14 penalty corners. The Blue Devils also recorded eight assists en route to producing their highest scoring output of the season.

Longwood's Bernard and Wyman posted five saves each and back Jordan Chapman added a defensive save. Redshirt senior Lauren Blazing and junior Kelsey Wagner shared time in goal for Duke in the win.

Up next, the Blue Devils hit the road for a pair of contests in Boston. The squad travels to ACC opponent Boston College Friday, Oct. 9 before facing Boston University Sunday, Oct. 11.

--- NOTES ---
- Duke topped the seven-goal mark for the first time since Sept. 30, 2012, when the program defeated Kent State, 11-2.
- The Blue Devils last posted back-to-back shutouts Sept. 21 and Sept. 26 of 2014 in wins over William & Mary (3-0) and California (2-0).
- Duke recorded four goals in a half for the second time on the season after scoring four in the second half of a 6-2 win over William & Mary Sept. 13.

#GoDuke