Nov. 3, 2004
Four Duquesne University women's soccer players have earned post-season Atlantic 10 laurels, announced today by the Atlantic 10 Conference. Leading the group is senior forward/midfield Katie Schwager (Akron, Ohio, Walsh Jesuit) who is just the third Duke to be tabbed a first-team All-Atlantic 10 selection. Joining her on the All-Atlantic 10 list is second-team honoree, Audra Mathews (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy), a freshman midfielder. Mathews is joined by fellow freshman Faye Rasmussen (Westlake, Ohio/Westlake) on the All-Rookie Team. Senior defender Caitlin Holmes (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) rounds out the award winners earning a spot on the Academic All-Conference squad and was voted as the League's Academic Student-Athlete of the Year.
Schwager, who earns her first All-Atlantic 10 citation, started all 20 matches and led the Dukes with nine goals and was second with five assists and 23 points. She ranks in a tie for fourth among A-10 leaders in goals (9), sixth in goals per game (0.42) and is tied for 10th in assists (5). Schwager launched the game-winning goals vs. Cleveland State; Robert Morris and St. Bonaventure and was 2-2 on penalty kicks. She was a major factor in the Dukes racking-up a school-record 39 goals and tying the record for most wins in a season with nine this year. Schwager stands first for Duquesne in career goals (18); assists (12) and points (48) and is the first player since 2001 to record a hat trick with her three goals vs. Robert Morris this season.
Mathews is just the second Duquesne rookie to be named to an All-Conference list with her second team selection and is one of three to be named to the A-10 All-Rookie squad. She led the Dukes with a single-season record 11 assists and 27 points and ranked second with eight goals. Her 11 assists pummeled the previous DU season mark of five set back in 1997. Mathews was 1-1 on penalty kicks. She ranks tied for first in the A-10 in assists, is second in assists per game (0.58) and is tied for sixth in goals. Mathews started all 19 of her matches and was named an A-10 Rookie of the Week.
Rasmussen, a forward, was selected to the All-Rookie Team as well making her just the third Duquesne honoree. She started 19 of her 20 matches and stood tied for third for Duquesne with six goals and 13 points. She tied Schwager for the team-lead in game-winning goals hitting the deciding score vs. Niagara, Canisius and in overtime vs. Temple.
Holmes earns her second Atlantic 10 All-Academic citation and is the University's first A-10 women's soccer Academic Student-Athlete of the Year Award winner. Holmes, who helped lead the Duquesne defense which recorded four shutouts this season, owns a 3.91 GPA in physics and is a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Honor College and is a Special Olympics volunteer. She helped limit the opponent to just over 14 shots and 1.92 goals per game this season. Over her career, Holmes has aided in 13 team shutouts and recorded two goals - both game-winners. She hit her first score vs. Boise State as a freshman and launched the deciding goal in the Dukes' 4-2 win over UMass in this year's season finale.
The quartette helped lead Duquesne to one of its most successful seasons with a 9-10-1 overall mark. The team's nine wins ties the University record last accomplished in 1998. In addition, DU netted a school-record 39 goals and 26 assists. The Dukes finished ninth in the 12-team Atlantic 10 standing with a 4-6-1 mark and posted notable wins over UMass (4-2) and La Salle (2-1), both of which qualified for the six-team A-10 Tournament. Duquesne, which is under the direction of second-year Head Coach James Walker, will lose just four seniors to graduation, including starters Schwager and Holmes.
