BLACKSBURG - The Virginia Tech lacrosse team will travel for the first time of the 2019 season when they head to Durham, North Carolina to take on No. 15 Duke in their ACC opener Saturday. The game's first draw is set for 12 p.m. and can be seen on ACC Network Extra, with live stats on hokiesports.com.
Saturday's matchup with the Blue Devils marks the third top-20 opponent for the Hokies the first five games of the season. The previous two, against No. 9 JMU and No. 20 Colorado both resulted in losses.
The Hokies got back in the win column Wednesday afternoon against Cincinnati, beating the Bearcats 19-8. Paige Petty paced the Hokies with six goals in the contest and captain Mary Claire Byrne scored her first career hat trick in her 46thcareer game. Julia Bolte and Sarah Lubnow each recorded three points, with two goals and an assist for the two attackers.
Petty is fifth in the country in goals scored with 14.
On the defensive end, Morgan Berman continued her excellent start to the campaign, recording nine saves and helping the Hokies keep Cincinnati scoreless for a 29-minute stretch. Defender Elena Ricci recorded a career best seven draw controls and also corralled three ground balls.
The Blue Devils
Duke is 2-1 on the season thus far, beating Villanova 19-9 in their season opener and dismantling Presbyterian by a score of 20-0. Their only loss came to No. 7 Northwestern in a thrilling 21-20 game on Feb. 17.
The Blue Devils already have three players in double-digit goals this season; Charlotte North (15), Olivia Jenner (10) and Catherine Cordrey (10). As a team, Duke has scored the second-most goals in the country in 2019. North has recorded more points than anyone else in Division 1 with 23 and is tied for second in the country in goals.
The Series
The meeting on Saturday afternoon will be the 23rdall-time in a series dating back to the 1997 season. Duke leads Virginia Tech all-time 19-3, however, the Hokies have taken the last three meetings against the Blue Devils, including a 13-12 game in the opening round of the 2018 ACC Tournament.
In the two wins over Duke last season, Petty led the Hokies with four goals in both contests. Taylor Caskey combined for four goals, and Byrne scored three goals between the two matchups.
Up Next
After their first away game against Duke, the Virginia Tech lacrosse team will stay on the road and travel to Norfolk, Virginia to take on Old Dominion. That game is set for Feb. 27 at 3 p.m.
When the two-game road trip concludes, the Hokies will be back in the Beamer-Lawson Indoor Practice Facility on March 3 against Radford.
