Blue Devil of the Week: Carly Bernstein racks up goals in record-tying season

During the spring season, The Chronicle is polling its readers every week via its Sportswrap newsletter to highlight one Blue Devil athlete’s outstanding performance. This week, the spotlight is on attacker Carly Bernstein of Duke women’s lacrosse:

As a season winds down, the best need to play their best. In a Saturday afternoon matchup against Louisville, Duke women’s lacrosse senior Carly Bernstein netted a double hat trick. Alongside her six goals, she dished out two assists, being involved in just under half of her squad’s 17 goals in a dominant win.

Bernstein wasn’t the only standout in her team’s sixth-straight triumph. Mattie Shearer and Callie Hem both netted three scores. The 10-goal victory was Duke’s (12-3, 6-2 ACC) second-largest margin of victory this season, with the prior coming in a non-conference matchup with High Point. 

“Louisville always plays us really hard, and it’s a really hard place to play,” Bernstein said. “It was awesome to get a really dominant win.” 

Bernstein emerged as a starter last season and has since come into her own, starting each of her team’s 15 games this year. Sunday’s new career-high outdid an early five-goal, three-assist performance against then-No. 10 Johns Hopkins, and if the Blue Devils are to make a deep run in the postseason, Bernstein will be key. 

The No. 10 Blue Devils’ triumph over the Cardinals was their sixth conference victory, matching 2022’s program-best mark. Tying the program record in conference wins is no laughing matter — the ACC has four of the top 10 teams in the country, and boasts three of the last four national champions.

Head coach Kerstin Kimel’s group has a chance to take the record for itself Thursday, as it welcomes No. 1 North Carolina for a regular-season-ending matchup. Following the rivalry game, the Blue Devils will find out their seeding in the conference tournament before fighting for the title. They likely have a bye sewn up for the NCAA Tournament, but can solidify their spot with at least one more win until the seedings are finalized.

“A goal for our team this season is making it all the way to Mass., but right now we are just trying to stay present, beat North Carolina tomorrow and then go forward from there,” Bernstein said.