Overview
The new turf at Jack Katz Stadium represents a fresh start for this year's Duke team. It is the first season since 2019 in which the Blue Devils have been able to return to a normal spring schedule without pandemic restrictions.
"It's huge, absolutely huge," head coach Pam Bustin said. "We feel so much more connected and prepared coming into this fall than we have since the 2019 fall." Bustin shared how the continuous fall/spring schedule "took a toll on us as a program and as individuals." This past spring brought back the opportunity for physical and mental recovery to set the tone for the upcoming season.
Duke will have to overcome others’ expectations this fall. Tuesday, the NFHCA released its preseason rankings, with the Blue Devils ranked 18th. They are coming off of a season in which they fell to the bottom of the ACC standings after going 0-6 in conference play. However, both a return to normal practice and fresh faces create potential for Duke to be a contender in field hockey.
There will be nine new players to the Duke program—six freshmen and three transfers. Some of the incoming group will have to fill in holes on defense left by recent graduates Lexi Davidson, Caroline Hanan and Grace Kim.
"That was one of the things we had to address in the spring clearly because we did lose a lot of experience back there," said Bustin. She foresees that a strong defense will be one that is “a collaborative group” where each player knows their role, communicates and holds each other accountable.
Ahead of the season's official start Friday, Duke played a couple of preseason exhibition games against VCU and North Carolina. Bustin seems to like what she saw from her team then: "We haven’t had a group as energized," Bustin said. “It's not always perfect, but they're playing hard and wanting to figure it out.”
This year can be a rebound for Duke after a couple of tough seasons during the pandemic. With a fresh turf and new players, the potential is there for a turnaround from last season's record.
The Blue Devils start off the season Friday at 1 p.m. at Rutgers.
New player to watch: Paige Bitting
Among the nine new players to watch this season is freshman Paige Bitting from Hummelstown, Pa. Bitting hails from Lower Dauphin High School, where she demonstrated a variety of strengths. During her senior year, she recorded both double-digit goals and assists and was a key defensive player in midfield. She won back-to-back district titles with her high school team and was recognized for her field hockey talent as an NFHCA first-team All-American in 2021 and selected as a top 10 player in the Class of 2022 by Max Field Hockey.
Bitting is following in the footsteps of her older sister, Morgan, who was also a Blue Devil and graduated in 2019. The Pennsylvania product can become another reliable scorer for the team right away for a Duke team looking to increase in the rankings. She was invited to the USA Field Hockey Junior National Camp and participated in the USAFH National Futures Championship. This experience in a very competitive atmosphere puts Bitting in a prime position entering her collegiate career.
Returning players to watch: Hannah Miller, Logan Clouser
Senior forward Hannah Miller, recently selected to the Preseason All-ACC Team, will lead the Blue Devils with her experience on the turf. Last year, Miller tied for second on the team in goals scored with four and took home Duke's Katie Grant Attack Player of the Year Award. With 44 points during her collegiate career, the senior is on pace to become the 42nd Blue Devil to reach 50 career points. Over the summer, she played in Dublin, Ireland for the U.S. U-21 squad in the Uniphar 5-Nations Tournament. Coach Bustin said that she thinks this international competition will “widen their horizons” as players face some of the game's best.
Sophomore midfielder Logan Clouser is coming off of a freshman year in which she made her mark as a player with tremendous promise. In 2021, she started in 10 of her 17 games and led the Blue Devils with five goals. Her growth was evident at the end of the season when she scored four goals in just the last six games. Time will tell whether Clouser carries her momentum from the end of last year into the fall season.
Most anticipated matchups: Sept. 2 vs. Northwestern and Sept. 4 vs. Maryland in Newton, Mass.
Duke will face two tough competitors—No. 1 Northwestern and No. 4 Maryland—for the annual ACC/Big Ten Cup, which Bustin called "an awesome competitive opportunity to kind of set the tone for the season." These games are part of a four-game road stretch Duke has at the start of this fall season.
Best-case scenario
Duke faced stiff ACC competition last season and could be in for a bounceback year. In that case, the Blue Devils go for at least a .500 record in the ACC with a winning record overall.
Worst-case scenario
After a tough season last year, it is hard to picture the Blue Devils facing similar struggles this season. But if Duke's players aren’t on the same page and lack in chemistry, the team could again find itself toward the bottom of the ACC with an overall losing record.
Prediction: 11-6 (3-3 in ACC), loss in ACC semifinals
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