No. 3 Blue Devils Down UConn, 2-0, on Senior Day

Sunday, October 22

Durham, N.C.

1 p.m.

Duke University

(14-2)

UConn

(5-12)

UCONN

Duke University

Duke field hockey celebrates its 2023 seniors

Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 3 Blue Devils Down UConn, 2-0, on Senior Day

10/22/2023 4:04:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Photo Gallery

DURHAM – Duke sophomore Alaina McVeigh scored twice, and the Blue Devil defense locked down UConn's offense to capture a 2-0 victory over the Huskies in non-conference field hockey action Sunday afternoon on Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium.

The third-ranked Blue Devils honored their seven seniors and grad students – Sarah Bonthuis, Alayna Burns, Barb Civitella, Piper Hampsch, Mary Harkins, Hannah Miller and Charlie van Oirschot following the victory.

The Blue Devils move to 14-2 overall and finish the regular season with an 8-1 home record. UConn falls to 5-12 overall.

How it Happened

The Blue Devils controlled much of the action throughout the 60 minutes against the Huskies. McVeigh put the Blue Devils up 1-0 in the 12th minute, connecting on a penalty stroke for her 15th goal of the season.
Van Oirschot collected a loose ball in the middle of the field and quickly hit Miller up top with a pass. The veteran forward dribbled into the circle, drawing a foul and penalty stroke for McVeigh to finish.
The second quarter was an even affair with both teams registering two shots apiece. Hampsch came up with one save in each quarter as the Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead into the locker room.
Duke remained patient in the third quarter as it searched for that crucial second goal. With time winding down in the period, van Oirschot stole the ball off a Husky stick and the Blue Devils found their way into the circle to earn another penalty corner with 55 seconds remaining.
UConn's penalty corner defense blocked Macy Szukics' sweep off the insert from Miller, but McVeigh was right there for the rebound as she tapped it across the line for her third multiple-goal game of the season.
Duke finished the final 15 minutes strong, holding the Huskies without a shot or penalty corner. The Blue Devil defense posted its sixth shutout of the season and held UConn to just six shots and three penalty corners. The Huskies entered the game averaging 15.4 shots and 6.38 penalty corners per game.
Hampsch finished her afternoon with three saves to garner her fifth shutout of the season and 11th of her career. Duke fired 13 shots and earned four penalty corners.

Notes

Alaina McVeigh's two goals give her 16 for the season, ranking tied for 21st in Duke single-season history. Her 34 points this season are two shy of moving into the top 25 in Blue Devil lore.
Piper Hampsch made three saves to give her 263 for her career, ranking seventh in Duke history. She is seven stops away from taking over the No. 5 spot. Her 0.96 goals against average is fourth in Duke single-season history.
Duke has 14 regular season wins for the 12th time in program history. The 2003 squad holds the record for wins in a regular season with 16. The 1984, 2004, 2016, 2017 squads each won 15 contests before postseason play.
Hannah Miller made her 88th career start. She is on pace to become just the second Blue Devil to play in 90 career games. Lily Posternak holds the record for games played at 97.

Up Next

Duke closes out the regular season at No. 2 North Carolina, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m., on ACC Network. The Blue Devils sit atop the ACC standings with a 5-0 record. A win Friday evening would give Duke its first undefeated ACC season and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament.

Quotes
Bustin on the seven seniors and grad students
"It all started over a year ago with their leadership and their desire to compete at a high level and their love for this program. Hannah [Miller] and Mary [Harkins] decided to stay and Barb [Civitella], Piper [Hampsch] and Alayna [Burns] have been with us since 2020 and COVID. So, for them to bring their leadership and experiences and to lead this team has been really really important. And it carries over into their play."

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