They say the devil is in the details. But in Durham, the Blue Devils are in the details — and the numbers:
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With Duke field hockey riding the momentum of a 1-0 shootout victory versus Syracuse, it secured a 4-0 win against No. 20 Cal. Duke’s four goals proved too much for the Golden Bears and were one more goal than the team has scored in the run of play during its last seven games combined. A couple of Blue Devils also had historic performances in California. For freshman Julia Boehringer, this game marked the first goal of her Duke career and she is now the seventh player to score this season. Additionally, junior Alaina McVeigh tallied two goals for the third time this season and became the 43rd Blue Devil to record 50 career points. These were not McVeigh’s only outstanding achievements: her 24 goals are tied for 25th in Duke history and she is one shy of becoming the 25th Blue Devil to score 25 career goals.
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The local rivalry was engaging as always, and saw the Blue Devil men’s soccer team come out with a 2-1 win against N.C. State. Coming into the game, the Wolfpack was undefeated when it scores first, but head coach John Kerr’s team put an end to that statistic. Heading into the second half, the Durham squad found an offensive groove, eventually leading graduate student Adam Luckhurst’s shot to reach the back of the net and return the score to 1-1. After N.C. State was whistled for a foul in the box, Duke received a penalty kick where Luckhurst was able to put the Blue Devils on top with only 15 minutes remaining. Duke’s defense also had a fantastic game, with a notable performance from graduate student goalkeeper Wessel Speel. The Hofstra alum denied two goal-scoring chances in the final ten minutes and tied his season high of four saves to eventually allow the Blue Devils to silence the Wolfpack crowd. Overall, Duke extended its unbeaten streak against N.C. State to five matches.
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The No. 2 Blue Devil women’s soccer team picked up its eighth straight victory against No. 25 Virginia with a decisive 3-1 win, leading it to a record of 8-1-0 overall. This is only the sixth time in program history that Duke has opened ACC play with a 3-0 record, and it marks its first home win against the Cavaliers since 2016. The Blue Devils’ three goals are also the most they have tallied against Virginia since 2012. Setting the tone for the first half, graduate student Maggie Graham sent a ball down the middle of the pitch, where junior Farrah Walters was able to sink it into the bottom right corner of the net. Heading into the second half with a 1-0 lead, the Blue Devils did not take their time but rather came out strong and determined with sophomore Mia Olario scoring a goal at the 47:47 mark for the second-quickest second-half goal of the season. During the 65th minute, Olario was able to send in a cross from the right side of the pitch, where junior Devin Lynch tallied her fourth goal of the season. The Cavaliers eventually scored at the 79:24 mark, but this did not prove to be enough to derail the Blue Devils, allowing the Duke squad to tie its second-longest streak in program history for scoring a goal in the first half of eight straight games. Additionally, Duke collected its fifth straight match with three goals or more, tying a 1990 school record. Besides setting phenomenal team-based records, Graham tallied a career-high two assists and Ella Hase had her team-best sixth assist of the season.
52
Heading into Centennial weekend with a 3-2 victory against Boston College, the Blue Devil volleyball team put on a riveting game and walked away with a 3-1 win against Syracuse. Duke led the way early with a 1-0 lead and an impressive .531 hitting percentage in the first set. Yet the Orange were able to come away with a win in the second set, causing the Blue Devils to have a hitting percentage of 0.128, their lowest of the afternoon. Junior Kerry Keefe boosted team morale and led the squad with a set-high six kills in the third. Duke then ended the match with a 0.405 hitting percentage and only three errors opposed to Syracuse’s nine. Additionally, Keefe had 21 kills and 10 digs, marking her fourth career game with 20 or more kills. Senior Rachel Richardson added 11 kills, 12 digs and three blocks. These superb statistics by Keefe and Richardson also required great assists from graduate student and Boston College alum Grace Penn. She recorded a career-high 52 assists and has now reached more than 2,500 assists overall. Head coach Jolene Nagel’s squad recorded a 0.302 hitting percentage against its ACC competitor, which is its second highest of the season. The Blue Devils will look to recover from back-to-back losses against longtime rival North Carolina and to defeat Wake Forest in their next game.
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