McVeigh Sends No. 10 Duke Past No. 9 Boston College

Friday, October 25

Durham, N.C.

5 p.m.

Duke University

(11-4, 6-1)

Boston College

(11-4, 5-1)

Boston College

Duke University

Photo by: Duke Athletics

McVeigh Sends No. 10 Duke Past No. 9 Boston College

10/25/2024 8:17:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Box Score

DURHAM, N.C.—Duke sophomore forward Alaina McVeigh redirected a Logan Clouser shot into the goal in the 33rd minute to lift the 10th-ranked Blue Devils to a thrilling 1-0 win over No. 9 Boston College in ACC field hockey action Friday night.
The win is the seventh straight shutout for the 11-4 Blue Devils, tying the program record for shutouts in a season. Boston College falls to 11-4 overall. The ACC victory launches Duke into second place in the league standings with a 6-1 mark.

How it Happened

Duke's defense shined once again, holding Boston College to just six shots in the game. The Blue Devils stifled the Eagles in the second and third quarters as they allowed just one shot in that span of 30 minutes.
The Blue Devils were on the front foot for much of the opening half but were unable to capitalize on any of their circle entries. The best opportunity of the first 30 minutes came off the stick of McVeigh as she got the free inside the circle. The sophomore forward got to the right post and tried to lift a shot over the shoulder of Eagle goalie Charlotte Kramer who was able to knock it away to send the teams into the locker room in a scoreless tie.
Duke defended two penalty corners in the first half, extending its shutout streak another 30 minutes. The Eagles managed just two shots in the initial 30 minutes.
Boston College nearly took the lead 90 seconds into the third quarter on a shot from Yani Zhong. Duke goalkeeper Frederique Wollaert knocked the ball down and the Blue Devils quickly countered down the right side. Clouser dribbled down to the endline, finding McVeigh with a centering pass on the doorstep. Kramer came up big again, getting down to block McVeigh's shot over the cage.
Following a whistle at the top of the circle, Clouser put the ball back in play and dribbled into the top of the circle and fired a shot through the Boston College defense. McVeigh deftly redirected the shot just enough to beat Kramer for the 1-0 Blue Devil lead.
The Blue Devil defense did its job the rest of the way en route to the seventh straight and 11th shutout overall of the season. Wollaert came up with another big stop on a penalty corner early in the fourth quarter for her eighth Duke shutout. She finished with two saves while Kramer had four stops.

Notes

Duke moves to 2-3 in top 10 matchups this season and 34-49 all-time under head coach Pam Bustin.
Duke extends its shutout streak to 449:43, dating back to the 1-0 loss to Virginia Sept. 27. The Blue Devils' seven-game shutout streak is the longest in program history while the 11 clean sheets tie the 1986 team for the most in Duke field hockey lore.
Duke's 0.32 goals against average is the lowest in the country and the lowest in Duke history. Duke has not allowed fewer than 10 goals in a season since letting in just five in 1974.
Wollaert, making two saves, dropped her goals against average to a nation's best 0.28. The 0.28 GAA would be a Duke single-season record and rank third in NCAA history. The Duke single-season record for goals against average is 0.70, set by Lori Stark in 1986.
Duke has allowed just one goal in live action in the past 580 minutes and only two in the past 740 minutes. Since letting in two goals at Northwestern, Duke sports a 0.16 goals against average - two goals in 760 minutes of action.
Wollaert recorded her eighth shutout at Duke and the 12th of her career. The eight this season are one more than 2023 ACC Goalkeeper of the Year Piper Hampsch had last season. Duke's one goal allowed in ACC play this season is the fewest in history after the Blue Devils allowed just five last year to tie Duke's best all-time mark.
Alaina McVeigh registered her 27th career goal, tying her for 23rd at Duke and leaving her three shy of moving into the top 20 in Duke history. She has 58 career points to tie for 31st in program history. She needs two more points to reach 60 and move to 30th in Blue Devil lore.
The Blue Devils allowed just six shots to Boston College which entered the game averaging 15.1 per game.

Quotes
Pam Bustin on the consistency of the defense
"I think that was the difference today. We stayed consistent from the beginning to the end with our discipline, with our communication and with our work rate. That says a lot about our defense as a team, but also taking advantage of the opportunities we have on offense. In the ACC, opportunities are hard to come by, so we have to be prepared to execute."

Pam Bustin on the offense in the past seven games
"I think it's a combination. When you feel good and confident about what's behind you and what you're doing defensively then you capitalize on the opportunities you have to attack. Of course, I wish we would have capitalized a bit more on some opportunities…I think we had 10 circle entries in the first half, and we didn't come out with a goal. That's something we have to be cognizant of."

Up Next

Duke wraps up its regular season schedule against No. 2 North Carolina, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m., on ACC Network. A win would give the Blue Devils a share of the ACC regular season title for the second consecutive season.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils field hockey, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeFH".
Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

#GoDuke