No. 5 Duke Welcomes No. 10 Saint Joseph’s for Noon Tilt Sunday

The Opening Hit

• Fifth-ranked Duke returns home for the first time since Sept. 1, hosting No. 10 Saint Joseph’s Sunday, Sept. 22 at 12 p.m. The Blue Devils are 2-0 at home this season and 2-2 against top-20 teams.
• Duke went 1-1 last weekend with a setback at No. 12 Liberty. The Blue Devils are 4-2 overall with the two losses to ranked foes.  Alaina McVeigh is the top scorer with five goals and seven points overall. Defensively, Duke has allowed just four goals all season and is one of five teams nationally to have at least three shutouts.  
• Saint Joseph’s is off to a red-hot start with a 5-1 record that includes a pair of top-20 wins. The Hawks have outscored their opponents 24-11 and are led on offense by Lily Santi’s five goals and six assists. Manu Ghigliotti has three goals and five assists while Marith Bijkerk anchors the defense in goal with a 1.59 goals against average and a .563 save percentage. She is 4-0 in goal and Shannon McNally is 1-1.  The Hawks play Davidson Friday, Sept. 20 before coming to Durham.

 
By the Numbers
2 – Points needed by junior Alaina McVeigh to become the 43rd Blue Devil to record 50 career points
3 – Goals needed by McVeigh to become the 25th Blue Devil to record 25 career goals
2 – Top-20 wins for both the Hawks and Blue Devils this season. Duke defeated Maryland (4) and Old Dominion (18), while SJU beat Penn State (16) and Rutgers (11).
3.92 – Saint Joseph’s scoring average, ranking fourth nationally
3 –Shutouts for the Blue Devils through five games, tied for first in the ACC and one of five teams nationally to have at least three
13.3 – Shots per game average for the Hawks through six games
5.83 – Shots allowed per game by the Blue Devils this season
5 – Of senior Josephine Palde’s seven career goals that are game winners, including the single goal at Maryland
29-6 – Shot margin for the Blue Devils in the third quarter this season
71 – Win percentage for Duke when ranked higher under head coach Pam Bustin – 76-31
 
A Win Sunday Would

• Be Pam Bustin‘s 167th at Duke
• Give Duke its third top-20 win and second top-10 victory of the season
• Be Duke’s fifth over Saint Joseph’s

 
Former Umass Standouts Meet

• When Duke and Saint Joseph’s square off Sunday it will be a matchup of a pair of UMass Field Hockey standouts. Separated by 24 years, Duke head…