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Photo by: Duke Athletics
Duke Faces Road Test at No. 13 Princeton Saturday
9/10/2021 9:31:00 AM | Field Hockey
The Opening Hit
By the Numbers
3 – Wins for Duke in the past five meetings against Princeton
5.00 – Saves per game for Duke goalkeeper Piper Hampsch, the highest average in the ACC and 23rd nationally
4 – Saves for goalkeeper Grace Brightbill in her Blue Devil debut in the second half versus Maryland
13 – Of the NFHCA's preseason top 25 teams Duke is slated to play this season, including six of the top 10
1st - Place Princeton was picked to finish in the preseason Ivy League coaches poll, earning 13 of the top 16 first-place votes
6 – Wins needed by Bustin for 300 career victories'
4 - Remaining home games for the Blue Devils after opening the season with four consecutive contests at Jack Katz Stadium
7 - Freshmen on the roster this season, the largest rookie group since 2014
7 - Remaining road games for the Blue Devils following Saturday's contest at Princeton
About the Blue Devils
Scouting The Tigers
Series History
Last Time We Met
Teammates One Year, Foes The Next
Sint-Maartenscollege Teammates Meet Stateside
Up Next
- After a pair of busy opening weekends with two games in three days, the Blue Devils have just one game this weekend as they hit the road for the first time to play Princeton. First hit is set for noon and will be on ESPN+.
- Duke is 1-3 after a pair of tough losses to top-10 opponents in the ACC/BIG Cup. The Blue Devils fell to No. 4 Northwestern, 3-0, and No. 9 Maryland, 4-0.
- Princeton enters the weekend looking for its first win after dropping contests to North Carolina (4-1) and Louisville (3-2 OT). The Tigers dropped to No. 13 following the pair of top-five setbacks.
- The trip to Princeton returns a pair of Duke graduate student transfers to their undergraduate stomping grounds as MaryKate Neff and Grace Brightbill face their former team.
- Duke is looking to find the cage this weekend for the first time since the 48th minute against Richmond, Aug. 29. The Blue Devils are riding a 132:01 scoreless stretch.
By the Numbers
3 – Wins for Duke in the past five meetings against Princeton
5.00 – Saves per game for Duke goalkeeper Piper Hampsch, the highest average in the ACC and 23rd nationally
4 – Saves for goalkeeper Grace Brightbill in her Blue Devil debut in the second half versus Maryland
13 – Of the NFHCA's preseason top 25 teams Duke is slated to play this season, including six of the top 10
1st - Place Princeton was picked to finish in the preseason Ivy League coaches poll, earning 13 of the top 16 first-place votes
6 – Wins needed by Bustin for 300 career victories'
4 - Remaining home games for the Blue Devils after opening the season with four consecutive contests at Jack Katz Stadium
7 - Freshmen on the roster this season, the largest rookie group since 2014
7 - Remaining road games for the Blue Devils following Saturday's contest at Princeton
About the Blue Devils
- Duke enters its first road trip looking to regain its winning ways. The Blue Devils are coming off a pair of tough setbacks to current No. 5 Northwestern and No. 7 Maryland in the ACC/BIG Cup. Duke is 1-3 overall with all three losses coming against teams currently ranked in the top 10 and the win coming over Richmond.
- Freshman Josephine Palde has the lone goal for the Blue Devils, while graduate student MaryKate Neff has the assist.
- In goal, Piper Hampsch has started all four games and leads the ACC in saves per game (5.00). Grace Brightbill, a transfer from Princeton, saw her first action in goal as a Blue Devil in the second half against Maryland, tying her career high of four saves.
Scouting The Tigers
- Princeton enters its second week of action ranked 13th after an 0-2 start to the year. The Tigers lost to North Carolina (4-1) and Louisville (3-2 OT) last weekend.
- Rookie Beth Yeager leads the offense with two goals for four points. The Tigers are averaging an impressive 14.50 shots per game after two outings. Princeton played 19 players during its opening weekend.
- Robyn Thompson anchors the defense in the cage and is averaging 4.50 saves per game.
Series History
- Duke and Princeton meet for the 13th time since the first meeting in 1997. The Tigers have a 7-5 edge in the series, but Duke has won three of the past five. Princeton is the winner of the past two and three of the eight previous matchups have gone into overtime.
Last Time We Met
- Nine goals highlighted the last time these two teams met with Princeton edging the Blue Devils, 5-4, in overtime. Duke led 4-1 late in the first half, but the Tigers scored the game's final four goals to come away with the win.
- It was the Noor van de Laar and Leah Crouse show on offense for Duke as the duo both scored twice. Current Blue Devil graduate student MaryKate Neff tallied Princeton's third goal. She was a junior for the Tigers at the time.
Teammates One Year, Foes The Next
- Saturday will be a return to very familiar territory for Blue Devil graduate students Grace Brightbill and MaryKate Neff. Both graduated from Princeton in 2021 and decided to spend their final year of eligibility in Durham.
- Neff started 59 of 60 games at Princeton and tallied 41 career points. Brightbill saw action in goal in eight games for the Tigers and made 13 career saves.
Sint-Maartenscollege Teammates Meet Stateside
- Duke senior Noor van de Laar and Princeton junior Ophelie Bemelmans both hail from the same secondary school in Sint-Maartenscollege, located in Holland. Both hail from Belgium, but attended the school prior to deciding to pursue field hockey and higher education in the United States.
Up Next
- Duke returns home to open ACC play against Wake Forest. The Blue Devils and Demon Deacons square off at 4 p.m., on Regional Sports Network.
- The gauntlet continues Sunday, Sept. 19 as the Blue Devils hit the road to take on No. 24 James Madison.
Players Mentioned
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