Duke Hosts No. 1 North Carolina in Regular Season Finale

Gameday Details

Duke's matchup with No. 1 North Carolina opens at 12 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29 at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium.
Cats are welcome at Katz Saturday. The friendly felines have to be able to be enclosed, so no cats on just leashes, but if you have a cat carrier/backpack/stroller etc., then you are good to go!
Duke students in attendance will get a Duke fanny pack and free Bojangles. With just two days before Halloween, fans also can pick up some candy to enjoy.

Thank You Seniors and Graduate Students

Saturday's matchup will be the final regular season home game for the seven Blue Devils – Grace Brightbill, Mary Harkins, Charlotte Johnson, Hannah Miller, Kelsey Reznick, Raphaelle van de Walle and Josie Varney.

Head Coach Pam Bustin on the Seven
"I could not be more proud to celebrate such an incredible group of Duke True seniors. Each has evolved during her respective time at Duke and in her own unique way. While growing as individuals and learning more about themselves and their personal goals, they have also grown closer together. It's amazing to see the transformation from the five that arrived on campus four years ago as high school graduates to the women they are today and how they each confidently carry themselves, work to represent Duke, and serve the team to help our program be the best on the field and as a cohesive unit. Together we have navigated through some very difficult times. We are here today because of the love, trust, and commitment we have all made to each other and to Duke University. We continue to get better together and I will forever remember this group for their resilience and love. DUKE TRUE."

The Opening Hit

Duke wraps up regular season action Saturday against top-ranked North Carolina. The Blue Devils will honor their seven seniors playing their final regular season game at home following the contest.
The Blue Devils are 7-9 this season and coming off a commanding 6-1 victory at Longwood Wednesday. Duke is looking to garner its first ACC win this season and hand North Carolina its first loss of the year.
North Carolina is unbeaten at 14-0 and has outscored its opponents 18-2 in the past four outings.
The Blue Devils have a balanced offense with 12 different players scoring at least one goal this season. Five different players have double-digit points with Hannah Miller pacing the Blue Devils with 25.
Duke is looking to post three consecutive wins for the first time this season.

By the Numbers
103 - Penalty corners won by the Blue Devils in 2022
81 – Penalty corners earned by Duke after 16 games in 2021
69 - Career points for senior Hannah Miller, tied for 21st in Blue Devil history
11 - Assists for Miller in 2022, a career-best, the most in the ACC and one of 10 players to have at least 11 helpers
15 - Points in the past seven games for sophomore Issy Carey
6 - Points in the first nine games this season for Carey
3 - Goals allowed in the past three games, compared with the 10 goals given up by Duke in the three games prior to those
16 - Goals scored by Duke this season in the first five minutes of a quarter this season.
203 - Career saves for goaltender Piper Hampsch in the cage, ranking 10th on the Duke career charts and 34 away from the eighth spot
12 - Different Blue Devils who have scored a goal this season
306 - Career wins by head coach Pam Bustin, the 19th Division I head coach to reach the 300-win benchmark.

About The Blue Devils

Saturday's contest against North Carolina will be the final regular season home game for seven Blue Devils - Grace Brightbill, Mary Harkins, Charlotte Johnson, Hannah Miller, Kelsey Reznick, Raphelle van de Walle and Josie Varney. Duke will recognize the seven seniors following the contest.
The Blue Devils have been dangerous in the circle, earning 103 penalty corners. Ranking 30th nationally in penalty corners per game (6.44), Duke continues to work towards capitalizing on all of the action in the circle. Duke has 41 goals this season, 13 more than it had in 17 games in 2021. Twenty-four of the 41 came in three games.
Hannah Miller paces the Duke offense with seven goals and 11 assists for 26 points. Issy Carey is the top goal scorer with nine tallies, while Logan Clouser has five. Charlie van Oirschot is the engine to the Duke midfield with five goals and three assists. Duke has struggled a bit offensively in ACC play, scoring only four goals despite averaging nearly nine shots and five penalty corners per game.
Defensively, the Blue Devils' entirely new backline continue to gel as a unit. Senior Mary Harkins has stepped up as a captain, while Megan Maransky is having an outstanding sophomore campaign. Rookie Paige Bitting has started 13 games and is a crucial piece to the backline. In goal, Piper Hampsch is averaging 2.80 saves per game and has a .627 save percentage, while Grace Brightbill has started five of the past six contests. Brightbill has played in nine games and sports a 1.96 goals against average and a .733 save percentage.

Scouting North Carolina

North Carolina, 14-0 and ranked No. 1 by the NFHCA, comes to Durham on a scoring tear with 18 goals in its past four games. The Tar Heels lead the nation in scoring average at 4.41 and are winning by an average of 3.41 goals per game. North Carolina has outscored its ACC foes 18-5 in the five victories.
Erin Matson once again leads the potent offense with 20 goals and seven assists for 47 points. Her 3.36 points and 1.43 goals per game average lead the country, while Ryleigh Heck has 13 goals and 28 points overall to rank third in the league in points. On the other end of the field, the Tar Heels have allowed just 14 goals and are allowing only seven shots per game. Goaltender Abigail Taylor leads the ACC and ranks third nationally with a 0.94 goals against average. She is averaging 1.50 saves per game as the Tar Heels are only allowing four shots on goal per game.

Series History

Duke and North Carolina are meeting for the 97th time and for the fifth time in the past three seasons. The Tar Heels hold a commanding 82-13-1 lead in the series and have won seven consecutive. Duke's last victory was a 3-2 triumph in Durham in 2017. The Blue Devils were ranked No. 2 and Tar Heels fifth in the victory.

Last Time We Met North Carolina

Erin Matson registered a hat trick to lead the Tar Heels to a 4-1 victory in Chapel Hill. Duke scored first in the eighth minute on a shot from Eva Nunnink on a penalty corner. North Carolina evened the scored 1:42 before halftime and added two more in a span of 2:10 in the third for the lead. The Tar Heels had a narrow 19-16 edge in shots, while Duke won the penalty corner battle 10-6.

Miller Climbs The Charts

Duke senior captain Hannah Miller continues to climb the Duke career scoring chart. With six points at Longwood, the veteran forward pushed her points total to 69 to rank tied for 21st. Her 25 career goals are 24th in Duke history.
Miller, playing back in the midfield at times this season, has dished a career-best 11 assists. She leads the ACC in total assists and assists per game and ranks eighth nationally with the 0.69 per game average. She is one of nine players nationally to have at least 11 helpers.

Issy Carey Getting Comfortable

For the first time in nearly 18 months, Issy Carey returned to the hockey field. A native of Weybridge, England, Carey missed the 2021 campaign and 2022 spring season to injuries. A member of the U-16 England National Team from 2017-19, Carey most recently played for Surbiton Ladies First Team. She was a three-time top goal scorer for indoor nationals and outdoor finals for Surbiton.
Carey is hitting her stride for the Blue Devils, starting five of the past six games and scoring six goals and dishing a assist. She has 15 points in the past seven games and leads all Blue Devils with nine goals this season. Eight of her nine markers have come in the past nine games.

Next Game

The Blue Devils open ACC Tournament action Nov. 1 on Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium. The official bracket will be released Sunday.

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Duke Hosts No. 1 North Carolina in Regular Season Finale

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Duke Hosts No. 1 North Carolina in Regular Season Finale

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