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Photo by: Duke Athletics
Duke Hosts Rutgers, Richmond to Open 2021
8/26/2021 2:08:00 PM | Field Hockey
Opening Hit
By the Numbers
79 – Percent of Duke's scoring that returns from the 2020-21 season
228 – Combined career games played by five graduate students on the roster - Posternak, Nunnink, Davidson, Neff, Brightbill
27 – Players on the 2021 roster, compared to 20 in 2020-21
13 – Of the NFHCA's preseason top 25 teams Duke is slated to play this season
5.00 - Saves per game average for Duke goalkeeper Piper Hampsch in 2020-21, second most in the ACC
7 – Wins needed by Bustin for 300 career victories
3 – Times Duke will be featured on the small screen, airing twice on ACC Network and once on RSN
8 - Home games for the Blue Devils this season, including four straight to start the campaign
7 - Freshmen on the roster this season, the largest rookie group since 2014
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For the Fans
Gameday Information
Scouting the Scarlet Knights
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#GoDuke
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- Duke welcomes a pair of graduate student transfers from Princeton for the 2021 season. MaryKate Neff and Grace Brightbill joined the Blue Devils this summer after three seasons with the Tigers. Neff, a midfielder started 59 of 60 games at Princeton, while Brightbill will bolster the goalkeeper group after appearing in six games her junior season.
- Leah Crouse will miss the opening weekend while competing with the U22 U.S. National Team at the 2021 Junior Pan American games in Santiago, Chile.
- Duke returns five of its top six scorers from a year ago. Darcy Bourne, the 2020 ACC Rookie of the Year, is spending this year training with England's national team for the 2021 Junior World Cup. Crouse, the 2019 leading scorer, also returns after missing much of the spring season to injury.Â
- A three-time All-Region first team selection, former goalie Sammi Steele is back with Duke in a volunteer assistant role. A starter in 84 games, she finished with a 62-22 record and will mentor the goalies this season.
- Rutgers also is missing a player for the opening weekend due to the Junior Pan American Championships. A goalkeeper, Gianna Glatz was a first team All-American in 2021.
By the Numbers
79 – Percent of Duke's scoring that returns from the 2020-21 season
228 – Combined career games played by five graduate students on the roster - Posternak, Nunnink, Davidson, Neff, Brightbill
27 – Players on the 2021 roster, compared to 20 in 2020-21
13 – Of the NFHCA's preseason top 25 teams Duke is slated to play this season
5.00 - Saves per game average for Duke goalkeeper Piper Hampsch in 2020-21, second most in the ACC
7 – Wins needed by Bustin for 300 career victories
3 – Times Duke will be featured on the small screen, airing twice on ACC Network and once on RSN
8 - Home games for the Blue Devils this season, including four straight to start the campaign
7 - Freshmen on the roster this season, the largest rookie group since 2014
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For the Fans
- It is that back to school time and Duke field hockey wants to make sure students of all ages are properly prepared with Duke branded school supplies. Friday against Rutgers, early arriving fans can pick up schedule posters, school supplies and light up Devil Horns, which will come in handy as the sun goes down.
- For Sunday's contest against Richmond, there will be fun and treats for Duke students. Join in on some pregame festivities of giant Jenga and cornhole. Loco Pops also will be available for all students on a hot afternoon.
Gameday Information
- For the updated information regarding COVID-19 policies and procedures, please visit this website. This will remain up-to-date as things change during the course of the season.
- Everything you need to know on gameday is here.
Scouting the Scarlet Knights
- Rutgers enters the 2021 season ranked 15th in the NFHCA preseason poll. The Scarlet Knights finished 9-6 last season and were ranked seventh nationally.
- Rutgers returns the majority of its roster from a year ago, including a trio of All-Americans in Gianna Glatz, Katie Larmour and Milena Redlingshoefer, and four all-Big Ten selections.
- The Scarlet Knights ranked ninth nationally in shutouts and 10th in goals against average, giving up 0.97 goals per game. Rutgers will be without Glatz in goal for the opening weekend as she is with the U22 U.S. National Team at the Junior Pan American Championship in Chile.
- Offensively, Redlingshoefer and Larmour return to the lead the Scarlet Knights. They posted 17 and 11 points, respectively last season.
- Duke and Rutgers haven't met since 2013 when the Blue Devils edged the Scarlet Knights 3-2 in double overtime in Piscataway. Cherry Seaborn scored in the 88th to lift the Blue Devils to victory.
- Richmond is coming off a 4-3 record in the abbreviated 2021 spring campaign. The Spiders were picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10 in a vote of the league's coaches.
- The Spiders return all of their scorers from last season, including A-10 preseason all-conference pick Steffie Bongers. Bongers led the team with six goals and one assist in the seven games. Richmond also welcomes back Olivia Frazier, an A-10 first team choice, and A-10 all-rookie pick Madi Hyatt.
- The Richmond defense will be anchored by goalkeeper Erika Latta after she earned second team all-conference honors. She posted a 0.91 goals against average and posted one shutout.
- Duke and Richmond played in 2016 as the Blue Devils cruised to a 6-0 victory. Six different players scored for Duke in the win on Williams Field.
- Duke hosts the Big Ten/ACC Cup next weekend, hosting Northwestern and Maryland in the Friday/Sunday affair. Boston College rounds out the ACC contingent.
- Duke plays the Wildcats Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. and Maryland Sept. 5 at 2 p.m. The match between the Blue Devils and Terrapins will be on ACC Network.
- The Duke field hockey team checked in at No. 12 in the first Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. All seven ACC teams were ranked.
- Leah Crouse represented the Blue Devils on the preseason All-ACC squad. An All-ACC pick in 2019, she returns for her senior season after missing much of the 2021 spring season to injury.
- As a sophomore in 2019, she led the Blue Devils in scoring with 11 goals and four assists for 26 points.
- For her career, the Virginia Beach native has played 52 career games with 30 starting assignments. She has registered 15 career goals and assisted on 14 others for 44 points. Six of her 11 goals in 2019 were game winners.
- It was a busy and action-packed preseason for the Blue Devils. Duke, via Paschall's stats, ran 615 miles over the course of the 10 days. That means Duke covered the distance from Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium all the way to NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. Or a round trip to the White House. The team sprinted 33 miles total 1.5 round trips to Karen Shelton Field in Chapel Hill.
- The top speed reached by a Blue Devil was 17.5 mph, while the team accumulated 4,000 combined hard accelerations and decelerations - which is a stop or start that is faster than 5 MPH.
- Senior Leah Crouse will miss the opening weekend as she helps lead the U22 U.S. National Team to a spot in the 2021 FIH Junior Hockey World Cup in December.
- Crouse, a preseason All-ACC pick, and the United States won Pool B, beating Chile, 2-1, and Trinidad & Tobago, 15-0 in round robin play. Crouse provided the assist on the go-ahead goal against Chile.
- Duke's Leading Scorer From 2021 And The ACC Rookie Of The Year, Darcy Bourne will miss the 2021 season with the Blue Devils as she trains with The U22 Great Britain National Team in preparation for the Junior Hockey World Cup in December.
- Bourne paced the Duke offense with eight goals and 17 points overall. She ranked fifth in the league and 11th nationally among all freshmen with 1.06 points per game.
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