No. 4 Blue Devils Return Home Saturday Against Syracuse

Saturday, October 2

Durham, N.C.

7 p.m.

Duke University

Syracuse

No. 4 Blue Devils Return Home Saturday Against Syracuse

10/1/2021 5:06:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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Match 10
No. 4 Duke (7-1-1, 1-1-1 ACC) vs. Syracuse (4-5-1, 0-3-0 ACC)
Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021 | 7 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Durham, N.C. – Koskinen Stadium

NEED TO KNOW

After kicking off ACC play with a three-game road swing, No. 4 Duke returns to Koskinen Stadium for a matchup with Syracuse on Saturday, Oct. 2.
The match is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra with Ryan Craig and Allison Gaskins on the call.
The Blue Devils are 5-0-0 at home this season and 41-4-7 at Koskinen since the start of the 2017 campaign.
Duke is coming off a 1-1 draw at Virginia Tech on Sept. 26 that saw the Blue Devils outshoot the Hokies 17-6 through 90 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods.
The Blue Devils are ranked No. 4 in this week's United Soccer Coaches national poll. Duke has held a spot in the top 10 in each of the last 22 polls dating back to Oct. 6, 2020.
Junior goalkeeper Ruthie Jones leads the ACC in save percentage this season (.839) and has the lowest career goals against average in Duke program history (0.63, min. 20 games played).
Mackenzie Pluck opened her senior campaign with four goals in the first six matches, marking the most goals in a six-game stretch for the North Wales, Pa., native since September of 2019. She notched her 50th career point on an assist at Virginia Tech.
Duke's defensive corps features three center backs who have combined for 26 starts in 27 matches -- sophomore Emily Royson, graduate student Caitlin Cosme and sophomore Katie Groff.
Saturday's match is part of the Duke women's soccer alumni weekend. The Blue Devils will welcome over 25 former players back to Durham, including six members of the 2011 team that advanced to the national title game.
With their 5-0 win over East Carolina on Sept. 9, the Blue Devils finished the non-conference schedule with zero losses and zero ties for the first time in program history.

DUKE VS. SYRACUSE

Saturday marks the seventh meeting between the Blue Devils and Orange since their all-time series began in 2013.
Duke holds a 5-0-1 advantage in the series with wins in each of the last five matchups.
After a 2-2 draw opened the series on Sept. 22, 2013, Duke has outscored Syracuse 18-1, netting four goals in each of the the last three games.
The Blue Devils are 2-0-0 against the Orange at Koskinen Stadium, with Duke's last home contest being a 4-1 win on Oct. 27, 2019.
Duke traveled to Syracuse last season and came away with a 4-0 victory on Oct. 18, 2020.
Maggie Graham scored her first two career goals in the match, with her sister Delaney picking up an assist on the first tally. Tess Boade and Olivia Migli also found the back of the net, while Ruthie Jones made two saves in the first half before being subbed off for the remainder of the game.
The victory was Duke's fourth in a row after starting ACC play with a 0-1-2 mark.

SCOUTING THE ORANGE

Syracuse enters Saturday's contest with a 4-5-1 record and an 0-3 mark in ACC play.
The Orange went 3-0-1 over a four-game stretch in early September before dropping each of their last four contests.
Senior midfielder Telly Vunipola paces the attack with six points this season by way of two goals and two assists. Fellow senior Meghan Root and freshman Pauline Machtens have also netted two goals each, tying Vunipola for the team lead.
Syracuse is boosted by a deep rotation as 19 players have appeared in at least three matches this season.
Graduate student Lysianne Proulx has started all 10 matches in goal for the Orange, collecting 37 saves while allowing 16 goals against.

LAST TIME OUT: DUKE 1, VIRGINIA TECH 1 (2OT)

No. 2 Duke wrapped up a three-game road swing to open ACC play with a 1-1 draw at Virginia Tech on Sunday, Sept. 26.
The Blue Devils and Hokies traded prime scoring chances through 90 minutes of regulation time and two 10-minute overtime periods, but neither side was able to find the go-ahead goal.
Duke dominated possession throughout the match and played 11-on-10 from the 80th minute on, as a Virginia Tech player was assessed a red card at the 78:30 mark.
Virginia Tech goalkeeper Alia Skinner was remarkable throughout the match, recording eight saves with two coming in the first overtime period.
After Nicole Kozlova put the Hokies in front at the 21:43 mark, Duke responded with an equalizer 13 minutes later on sophomore Nicky Chico's first career goal.
Tess Boade and Mackenzie Pluck picked up assists on the play, as their counterattack led to Chico tracking down the ball to the left of goal. The Wyckoff, N.J., native chipped one high over the outstretched arm of Skinner and just inside the back post, bringing the Blue Devils level.
Duke finished the match with 17 shot attempts and continued to pepper the Hokie defense, but the Blue Devils could not get one past Skinner.
Ruthie Jones made two key saves for Duke, including one off a breakaway opportunity for Tori Powell in the 96th minute.

BACK AT KOSKINEN

After a three-game road swing to kick off ACC play, the Blue Devils return to the friendly confines of Koskinen Stadium, where they are 5-0-0 this season and 41-4-7 since the start of the 2017 campaign.
Duke has outscored its opponents 18-3 in home matches this season, with three opponents ranked in the top 20 of the United Soccer Coaches poll at the time of the matchup.
Duke's last home contest was a 5-0 win over East Carolina on Sept. 9, which marked head coach Robbie Church's 150th career victory at Koskinen Stadium.
The Blue Devils have been fueled by hot starts at home this year, scoring eight times in the first half while allowing just one first-half goal by an opponent. Duke's opening goal in each of its last three home games has been scored in the first 25 minutes.

DUKE IN THE RANKINGS

With their win at second-ranked North Carolina on Sept. 17, the Blue Devils moved up to No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches national poll released Tuesday, Sept. 21.
The No. 2 ranking was the highest for Duke since Oct. 31, 2017, when the Blue Devils captured the program's third ACC regular season crown.
Five of Duke's seven wins this season have come against opponents included in the United Soccer Coaches preseason rankings.
With their current position at No. 4, Duke has been ranked in the top 10 in each of the last 22 United Soccer Coaches polls dating back to Oct. 6, 2020.

STORMING OUT OF HALFTIME

The Blue Devils have outscored their opponents 13-3 in the second half of games this season, with six of those goals coming in the first 10 minutes after the break.
Tess Boade's game-winner at North Carolina on Sept. 17 was scored at the 54:58 mark.
In the season opener against Arkansas, Duke scored each of its two penalty kick goals in the first six minutes out of halftime to build a 3-1 lead.
Duke's opening goals in the wins over Washington (Aug. 22) and Vanderbilt (Aug. 29) were each netted in the 53rd minute.
The Blue Devils have outshot opponents 85-30 in the second half.