Two Second-Half Goals; Strong Defense Lead Duke Past Syracuse

Friday, October 2

Durham, N.C.

3 p.m.

Duke University

(8-2, 4-0)

Syracuse

(6-3, 1-2)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Syracuse	0	0	0	0	0
Duke	0	0	1	1	2

Box Score (PDF)

Shae Wozniak exclaims after scoring a goal, Callie Rogers and Maggie Kondrath jump for joy

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Two Second-Half Goals; Strong Defense Lead Duke Past Syracuse

10/2/2026 6:53:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

DURHAM, N.C. – Junior Madison Beach and sophomore Shae Wozniak notched second-half goals and the defense put on another stellar performance as No. 3 Duke (8-2, 4-0 ACC) claimed its sixth consecutive win with a 2-0 victory over No. 9 Syracuse (6-3, 1-2 ACC) in ACC field hockey action Friday afternoon.

Beach's goal was her first of the season, while Wozniak's was her third of the year and second in the past three games. The Blue Devils commanded the offensive third of the field and finished with a 20-5 shot advantage, including a 12-2 margin in shots on goal. Duke also generated six penalty corners to Syracuse's one.

Duke put on a defensive clinic against Syracuse, holding the Orange scoreless for the first time in 2026 and to season lows in shots (5) and penalty corners (1). The Blue Devils allowed just one attempt in the entire second half – a shot that sailed wide – and held Syracuse without an attempt from the 25:11 mark of the second period until 57:46 in the fourth quarter. The 2-0 blanking was Duke's sixth shutout on the year.

Junior Kaiya Chepow collected two saves on the afternoon and tallied her fifth clean sheet of 2026.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Duke dictated the pace from the opening pass back and applied relentless pressure on the Syracuse defense throughout the first half. The Blue Devils peppered the Orange with 13 shots – six in the first quarter and seven in the second – and generated three set pieces in the opening 30 minutes, but couldn't convert on the early opportunities.
The teams entered the half scoreless behind strong goalie play on both sides. Syracuse keeper Jessie Eiselin collected seven saves, while Chepow turned away both shots she faced.
Quarter number three featured one shot between the two teams, with Duke going 1-for-1 and opening the game scoring off a set piece in the 35th minute. After receiving the insert from graduate student Alaina McVeigh, Beach fired a strike inside the left post to give the home team a 1-0 lead at 34:42.
Duke delivered the dagger early in the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils notched their second penalty corner goal of the afternoon – this one off the stick of Wozniak – to stretch the advantage to two and gain breathing room. After the initial scoring option was thwarted by Eiselin, the ball found its way to Wozniak for the reverse chip and a 2-0 Blue Devil lead at 46:00.

GAME NOTES:

Duke improves to 8-2 overall and 4-0 in ACC action this season.
The Blue Devils have now won three consecutive games (3-2) against ranked opponents on the year and extend their overall winning streak in 2026 to six games.
The 8-2 record marks Duke's best start through 10 games since 2023, when the Blue Devils opened the campaign with a 9-1 ledger.
Duke improves to 6-0 this season when playing at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium.
Head coach Pam Bustin picks up her 196th victory at Duke and the 358th of her career.
The Blue Devils posted their sixth shutout of the season, while Chepow notched her fifth clean sheet. Duke held Syracuse to season lows in shots (5) and penalty corners (1), with the Orange marking the sixth opponent Duke has allowed fewer than five attempts.
Beach netted her first goal of the season and now owns four points (1g, 2a) on the year.
Wozniak tallied her second marker in the last three games and has six points on three goals.
With her assist against the Orange, McVeigh now has 115 (48g, 19a) career points. She needs just two more points to move into a tie for ninth all-time at Duke.

UP NEXT:
No. 3 Duke squares off against Saint Joseph's in a Senior Day matinee Oct. 4. Action gets going at noon, with the contest streaming live on ACCNX.

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