Notes and Notables from Duke Field Hockey 2023

Duke by the Numbers in 2023

7th – Time Duke advanced to the NCAA semifinals and first since 2015

162 - Wins for Pam Bustin as the Duke head coach, tying Duke Hall of Fame inductee Jacki Silar's Duke record for wins

284 - Career saves for Piper Hampsch, ranking fifth in Duke single-season history

8 - Shutouts for the Blue Devils in 2023, the most since the 2003 team had eight

1.02 – Duke's goals against average, ranking third nationally

5 - Setbacks this season for Duke to nation's No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 teams

18 – Wins for Duke in 2023 – the most by a Bustin coached team and tied for the third most in program history

Where They Started

Duke started the season ranked 20th in the NFHCA preseason poll and picked to finish last in the ACC. The Blue Devils entered the 2023 campaign having lost 13 straight conference contests and a combined 17 wins in the previous three seasons.
The Blue Devils gave up 38 goals in 2022 – 2.11 goals per game – and lost five games by a single goal. Duke placed two players on the All-ACC and All-Region teams. Fifteen of those tallies came against conference opponents.

Where They Finished

The Blue Devils finished the regular season ranked third in the NFHCA poll and won a share of the ACC regular season title with a 5-1 record. It marked the third time Duke compiled a 5-1 mark in ACC play. The Blue Devils went 5-1 in 2016 and 2018 with the 2016 squad capturing the regular season crown.
Duke won 18 games for the fourth time in program history and the first time under head coach Pam Bustin. The 18 wins come on the heels of the 7-11 season in 2022, giving Duke an improvement of 8.5 games. The turnaround ranks tied for 12th in NCAA history and the best since Monmouth and Providence both did so in 2016.
Duke allowed just five goals in conference play, tying the 2018 squad for the fewest allowed by Duke in a six-game ACC slate. Overall, Duke finished with a 1.02 goals against average to rank fifth nationally.
Three Blue Devils won ACC major awards and five overall landed on All-ACC teams in 2023.

Duke Lands Five on All-ACC Teams

Piper Hampsch, Alaina McVeigh and Hannah Miller each garnered first-team All-ACC recognition, while Kira Curland and Mary Harkins were second-team picks. The five All-ACC selections match the most in program history.
McVeigh, voted the ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, is the second Blue Devil to garner ACC Offensive Player of the Year since it started in 2004. Hampsch captured the inaugural ACC Goalkeeper of the Year and Bustin won ACC Coach of the Year for the third time.

Hannah Miller and Mary Harkins Cap Outstanding Careers

Graduate students Hannah Miller and Mary Harkins capped outstanding field hockey careers, garnering NCAA All-Tournament Team honors. The duo has played together for over a decade, playing at Villa Maria Academy and club for WC Eagles.
Miller, a forward, and Harkins a center back, combined to play in 186 career games as Blue Devils. They both garnered All-ACC honors in their final season at Duke as Miller picked up her second All-ACC first team selection and Harkins was an All-ACC second team pick for the first time.

Alaina McVeigh Leaves Her Mark

Sophomore Alaina McVeigh finished her first season of collegiate field hockey with an ACC-best 17 goals. She scored at least one goal in 14 of the 23 games and owns the winning markers in five, including two in overtime. She scored twice to ice the regular-season victory over Syracuse for the Blue Devils. She scored on a stroke in the NCAA quarterfinal win.
McVeigh's 17 goals are tied for 16th in Duke single-season history and are the most since Rose Tynan had 17 in 2017. Her 37 points are 25th in a single season in program lore and the most since Tynan's 37 in 2017.

Miller in the Record Book

Miller is peppered throughout the Duke field hockey record book. She started all 95 career games to break the record of 84 previously held by Melissa Panasci. A two-time All-ACC pick, Miller is one of 17 players in Duke history to start every game she played.
A dynamic player up front for the Blue Devils, Miller finished her career with 34 goals and 29 assists for 97 points. She departs Durham ranked 10th in assists, 13th in points and 16th in goals.

Hampsch the Anchor to the Duke "D"

Senior goaltender Piper Hampsch had her best season as a Blue Devil, finishing the year with a 1.02 goals against average to rank fourth in the nation in 2023. She compiled a career-high seven solo shutouts as Duke posted eight clean sheets on the season. The eight shutouts are the most since the 2003 team had eight.
Hampsch's 1.02 goals against average ranks fourth in Duke single-season history. The lowest GAA for Duke in the past 10 years was 1.13 in 2019 and only three times has a Blue Devil goalie posted a GAA under 1.00.
Hampsch owns 284 career saves to rank fifth in Duke field hockey history.

Bustin Ties Silar for Wins Record

Head coach Pam Bustin garnered her third ACC Coach of the Year award in 2023 after leading the Blue Devils back to the top of the ACC standings. Bustin's 18 wins this season give her 162 victories as Duke's leader on the sidelines, tying her Jacki Silar's record for wins in Duke field hockey history.