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Match 7
#15 Duke (4-2-0) at Boston College (3-3-2)
Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023 – 1 PM (ET) – ACC Network Extra
Newton, Mass. (Newton Soccer Complex)
ACC Network Extra Talent: Justin Gallanty (PXP), Eric Gallanty (Analyst)
NEED TO KNOW
• No. 15 Duke (4-2-0) will hit the road to open ACC action this weekend as the Blue Devils travel to Newton, Mass., to face Boston College (3-3-2) on Sunday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m., at Newton Soccer Complex.
• Sunday’s match versus the Eagles will be aired live on ACC Network Extra with Justin Gallanty (PXP) and Eric Gallanty (Analyst) calling the action.
• The Blue Devils hit the road for only the third time this season, but for the second straight match.
• Duke closes a two-match road swing and then returns home to host Notre Dame (Sept. 21) and NC State (Sept. 24).
• The Blue Devils have 10 matches left to conclude the regular season — five on the road and five at home.
• Since allowing four goals on the road at Stanford, the Blue Devils have posted two clean sheets. Duke has held opponents scoreless for 196:53 minutes.
• Over the last two seasons, Duke has lost six student-athletes that have gone on to play in the NWSL.
• Duke welcomed 11 newcomers to the 2023 roster as head coach Robbie Church is in his 23rd season with the Blue Devils.
STORYLINES/OTHER BLUE DEVIL NOTES
• Maggie Graham totaled her third goal over the last two years against UNCG for the game-winner last week.
• Katie Groff and Devin Lynch have connected for two goals off corner kicks this season (West Virginia and East Carolina).
• Kat Rader’s goal at the 8:39 mark of the first half against East Carolina was the fastest goal of the 2023 season for the Blue Devils.
• After playing only three subs in the first half against West Virginia in the opener, the Blue Devils have increased the subs in each match. In the last three matches, six or seven players have come off the bench to see action.
• Duke scored goals in the first half in the first three games for the first time since the 2017 season. In 2017, the Blue Devils totaled goals in the first half in each of the first seven matches. Overall, Duke has notched five first-half goals in six matches, while scoring only three in the second half.
• In her first two seasons, when Kat Rader scores, the Blue Devils feature a 12-1-1 ledger. Rader has scored four of Duke’s seven goals this season and has 16 over her short career. She became just the sixth Blue Devil to register goals in each of her first three matches to start a season.
• Leah Freeman earned a trio of preseason honors — MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, TopDrawerSoccer Best XI First Team along with United Soccer Coaches Goalkeepers Watch List.
• Senior Maggie Graham enters her first season at Duke without her sister, Delaney, as Delaney graduated this past year and is now enrolled in the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tenn., to start the process of being a doctor.
• The Blue Devils will need to replace the reigning MAC Hermann Trophy Award winner Michelle Cooper, after she turned professional following her sophomore season with Duke. In two seasons, Cooper scored 31 goals, added 16 assists and posted 78 points. She scored in 29-of-40 matches.
THE SERIES WITH BOSTON COLLEGE
• Duke has an all-time record of 13-4-3 against Boston College.
• Last season, the Blue Devils collected a 3-0 win at Koskinen Stadium in Durham. Michelle Cooper scored two of the three goals with Kat Rader adding the other.
• Duke currently has a 3-3-2 record on the road playing in Newton, Mass.
• The Blue Devils have outscored the Eagles 36-14 all-time.
• Duke is currently on a six-game winning streak against Boston College dating back to 2016.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
• Boston College enters the contest with a 3-3-2 overall record.
• The Eagles hold a 2-1-1 ledger at home with the lone loss coming to nationally-ranked South Carolina.
• Ella Richards leads the squad in scoring with three goals and two assists for eight points.
ACC OPENERS
• In ACC openers, Duke features a 10-match unbeaten streak over the last 10 contests (7-0-3). Four of those wins have come on the road. Head coach Robbie Church owns a 10-8-4 record in ACC openers, including a 6-2 mark on the road.
A WIN WOULD…
• Move Duke to 5-2-0 on the season and 1-0 in ACC play.
• Mark the seventh straight win in the series against Boston College.
• Increase the Blue Devils’ unbeaten streak to 11 in ACC openers.
HEY, I KNOW YOU
• Duke freshman Kaeden Koons-Perdikis along with three Boston College players — Olivia Shippee, Ava Feeley and Maddie Landers — were named to the High School All-America game in 2022. All four played together on the East Team.
• Maggie Graham and Baleigh Bruster played with Eagles’ Eva Nahas with the TopHat club team out of Atlanta, Ga.
• Boston College’s Emily Sapienza and Duke’s Katie Groff are both from Raleigh, N.C., and competed for the NC Courage Girls Development Academy.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
• Duke hits the road for its third road contest of the season. The Blue Devils are 1-1 on the road in 2023 and have been limited to only one goal at UNC Greensboro.
• Maggie Graham scored the game-winner in the second half at UNCG for the lone tally. Graham owns four shots in two road contests this season.
• In four home matches, the Blue Devils have tallied seven goals and allowed four goals. Duke has allowed four goals in two away contests.
• Kat Rader has scored all four of her goals at home this season. She has eight shots at home and only two on the road.
