Another top-5 showdown: Duke field hockey treks north for high-profile tilt at No. 4 Syracuse

In their first game against a fellow top-five ACC national title contender, the Blue Devils came up just short.

But Duke will get another chance to go toe-to-toe with one of the nation’s top teams less than two weeks after its first loss.

The No. 2 Blue Devils will take on the defending national champions in No. 4 Syracuse Friday at 5 p.m. at J.S. Coyne Stadium in Syracuse, N.Y., before making the trip to Princeton, N.J., to face the No. 12 Tigers Sunday at 1 p.m. at Bedford Field. Duke already has seven top-20 wins—even with a Sept. 25 3-2 loss at then-No. 5 North Carolina—including two at home last weekend with a rout against then-No. 15 Boston College and a 2-1 win against then-No. 13 Boston University. 

The Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead against the Tar Heels before dropping the contest, and will see if they can do one of the few things they have not been able to during their program-best start—beat a top-five team. 

“It’s perfect right now midway through to get a little taste of what the postseason is like. We go away for the ACC tournament, come back, [and] who knows where we’re going to go for that first round [of the NCAA tournament],” Duke head coach Pam Bustin said. “It’s a good test for us to individually stay organized and individually stay prepared and making sure that the focus is just on taking care of business this weekend.”

In the Blue Devils’ win Sunday, standout freshman Margaux Paolino opened the scoring with her first goal of the season—she is among the nation’s best with 10 assists this season. The good news for Paolino continued when she was named to the U.S. U21 national team that will compete at the Junior World Cup following the season.

The Villanova, Pa., native is far from Duke’s only offensive star. Senior Heather Morris was named co-ACC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring three goals last weekend, including the game-winner Sunday against the Terriers, and has already tied a career high with 11 goals this year. Junior defender Alyssa Chillano frequently goes forward to anchor the Blue Devil attack on penalty corners, and is one of seven Duke players with multiple goals this season—12 Blue Devils in total have found the net.

Duke  (10-1, 3-0 in the ACC) will look to keep the pressure on Syracuse goalkeeper Regan Spencer to protect its own defense since Syracuse has an offense that is just as potent as Duke’s. Both teams are in the top 10 nationally in goals per game with 3.7 and have scoring margins higher than 2.2, and five Orange players have at least five goals already this season. 

The similarities between the top-five teams extend up front, as Syracuse forward Lies Lagerweij leads the Orange (10-1, 3-1) with 11 goals on the season to match Morris’ total. 

Although both teams boast potent offenses, their defenses are equally steady, meaning Friday’s game could turn into a defensive battle like it did in Durham last year, when the Orange escaped with a 1-0 overtime win. 

“You always think about last year—the outcome of the game,” Chillano said. “But it’s a new year and we have a new team, and we’re prepared to just go at them.”

Chillano and redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sammi Steele will anchor Duke’s defense, which allowed three goals for the first time all year against North Carolina. All three came in a 20-minute second-half stretch, and quick momentum swings could once again be the difference Friday.

Although the Blue Devils face another stiff test Friday, things will not get easier when they travel to take on Princeton (6-4) after the Syracuse game. The Tigers are 4-2 at home, and all four of their losses have come against top-15 competition as Princeton too has navigated a brutal schedule.

The Tigers allow 1.7 goals per game, but have made up for occasional defensive lapses with an offense that produces 2.5 tallies per contest. Junior Ryan McCarthy leads the way for Princeton with seven goals and three assists, and the Tigers will look to avenge a 1-0 loss from 2014—the last time Duke and Princeton went head-to-head.

“It’s definitely going to be a little challenge for our team,” Chillano said. “But if we face the challenge head on and take it as something that we can overcome, having that mindset will help us on the field.”