2016 Schedule

PITTSBURGH - Al Alvine, head coach of the defending Atlantic 10 championship Duquesne women's soccer team, has released the team's 2016 schedule.

The Dukes will play 19 total matches which includes facing a pair of NCAA Championship teams and 10 Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.

The season begins at Rooney Field against Central Michigan on August 19th. The Chippewas are coming off a 6-10-3 season and finished 3rd in the Mid-American Conference West Division. CMU returns All-MAC Second Team performer midfielder Eliza Van de Kerkhove and leading scorer forward Lexi Pelafas, who was on the MAC All-Freshman team. The Dukes are 0-0-1 all-time against Central Michigan. The last meeting between the two schools was in 2001.

The first road trip of the year will be against cross-town rival Pittsburgh at Ambrose Urbanic Field in Oakland on August 21st. The Panthers were 10-7-1 last season and were 10th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Pitt returns keeper Taylor Francis who recorded seven shutouts last season and leading scorer Taylor Pryce. In the last matchup between the Dukes and Panthers, Caroline Lacy's putback off a Linnea Faccenda shot in double overtime gave Duquesne its first win over Pitt since 1997.

The next two matches are at home beginning August 28th against Youngstown State. The Penguins were 7-11-0 last year and finished in 9th place in the Horizon League. YSU returns All-League Second-Team midfielder Kyler Lum and midfielder Madison Hughes, who was named to the All-Freshman Team. Duquesne owns a 7-1-1 all-time mark against YSU.

The homestand continues with Longwood on September 2nd. The Lancers are coming off a 9-8-2 record and a 5th place finish in the Big South. Longwood returns All-Big South First Team and leading scorer midfielder Amanda Spencer and All-Freshman Team member defender Sydney Wallace. This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Duquesne hits the road for a weekend series in Cincinnati. The Dukes will visit former A-10 rival Xavier on September 9th. The Musketeers were 8-9-1 last year and finished 7th in the Big East. XU returns leading scorer and Big East All-Freshman Team forward Samantha Dewey. Duquesne has a six-match undefeated streak against XU, dating back to 2006. Xavier leads the all-time series 10-5-1.

On September 11th, Duquesne travels three miles to the University of Cincinnati. The Bearcats (13-6-5) are the defending American Athletic Conference champions and 2015 NCAA Championship participant. The Bearcats return defender Vanessa Gilles, an All-Conference Second-Team selection and forward Jordan Cotleur, an All-Rookie Team member. The Bearcats won the only meeting between the two schools last season.

Duquesne returns home for a pair of matches beginning September 16th against Akron. The Zips were 6-13-2 overall last season and finished 5th in the Mid-American Conference East Division. Akron returns All-MAC Second Team performer keeper Annabelle Hegeman. Although the teams have scrimmaged several times, the only regular season meeting between the Dukes and Zips was a 1-1 draw in 2003.

Ivy League champion Princeton comes to town on September 18th. The Tigers advanced to the Second Round of the 2015 NCAA Championship last season and finished with a 14-4-1 overall record. Princeton returns the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year in forward Tyler Lussi, Rookie of the Year forward Mimi Asom, First-Team All-Ivy midfielder Vanessa Gregoire, Second-Team All-Ivy defender Emmy Sura, and midfielder Natalie Larkin as well as Honorable Mention defender Mikaela Symanovich. In the only match between the two schools, Katie O'Connor scored in the 85th minute to break a 2-2 tie and give Duquesne a 3-2 win last season.

The non-conference season wraps up in Loretto, Pa. against Saint Francis U. The Red Flash were 4-13-2 and finished 4th in the Northeast Conference. SFU returns All-NEC First Team performer midfielder Gabi Morales as well as All-NEC Second Team member defender Shannon McGinnis. Last year, Duquesne defeated Saint Francis U en route to the Steel City Classic title.

The Atlantic 10 Conference season opens at Rooney Field on September 29 against Richmond. The Spiders were 5-12-1 last year and finished 10th in the A-10. UR returns All-Rookie performer midfielder Keaira Clark. UR was a 2-1 winner over DUQ last season, but the Dukes lead the all-time series 7-6-1.

Duquesne hits the road on October 2nd to face VCU. The Rams are coming off an 8-9-3 season and a 4th place A-10 finish. Forward Julia Suarez is the team's top returner. She was named Second-Team All-Conference and to the All-Rookie Team. VCU was a 1-0 winner last season against Duquesne and leads the all-time series 2-1-0.

The Dukes remain on the road until October 6th when they travel to St. Bonaventure. SBU returns 2nd leading scorer forward Danielle Vis. Last season, the Dukes were 4-2 winners over the Bonnies on Rooney Field to improve to 11-7-0 all-time in the series.

Davidson comes to Rooney Field on October 9th. The Wildcats return leading goal scorer forward Ashley Finke from last year's 7-12-0 team that finished 10th in the conference. The teams have split their two matches since the Wildcats joined the A-10, with the home team winning each time.

On October 13th, the Dukes make their second trip to Virginia when they visit George Mason. The Patriots finished last season 9-9-2. Their season was highlighted by upsetting #1 seed George Washington in the A-10 Championship as a #8 seed. Mason returns a pair of Second-Team All-Conference performers forward Sarah Hardison, the team's leading scorer along with midfielder Alex Myers and forward Nia Elbeck, who was on the All-Rookie Team. Duquesne has defeated Mason in their only two matches, including last season's 1-0 win.

Duquesne hosts Saint Joseph's on October 16th. The Hawks were 13-7-0 last season and finished 3rd in the A-10 with a 7-3-0 record. SJU returns midfielder Emily Gingrich who was Frist-Team All-Conference and second in the league in scoring and assists. The Dukes look to end a six-match winless streak (0-4-2) against the Hawks. Saint Joseph's leads the all-time series 10-3-4.

The final road trip of the season is a pair of matches in New England. October 20th, Duquesne visits Massachusetts. UMass was 6-8-4 overall and finished in 10th place in the A-10 with a 3-5-2 record. The Minutewomen return their top three leading scorers in forward Megan Burke, forward Erin Doster and midfielder Julia Weithofer. Last season, the Dukes snapped a four-match losing streak against the Massachusetts with a 1-0 victory. UMass owns a 12-5-0 series advantage.

Following the trip to Amherst, Duquesne will visit Rhode Island on October 23rd. The Rams are coming off a tough 3-15-1 season that saw them go 0-10-0 in A-10 play. The Rams return leading scorer forward Ari Stanton. Although URI leads the series 10-4-3, the Dukes were 3-0 winners over the Rams last season.

The final two home matches are against a pair of teams Duquesne defeated in the conference championship en route to the A-10 title last season. On October 27th, Dayton visits Rooney Field. Although the Flyers ended 10-9-1 last year, they finished 2nd in the conference with an 8-2-0 record. The Flyers graduated the Offensive Player of the Year, Ashley Campbell and Midfielder of the Year, Nicole Waters, but return First-Team All-Conference forward Alexis Kiehl, Second-Team All-Conference defender Libby Leedom and All-Rookie midfielder Beth Kamphaus. After falling to the Flyers in the regular season 5-2, the #7 seed Dukes defeated #2 seed UD in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championship in a shootout.

The final regular season match is against La Salle. The Explorers were 9-9-3 overall and finished 6th in the A-10 with a 5-4-1 record. LAS returns leading scorer midfielder Deja Davis and All-Rookie Team member Maci Bower. The Dukes defeated La Salle in Philadelphia for the first time since 2004 last season on the final day of the regular season and met the Explorers in the semifinals of the A-10 Championship. O'Connor scored in the 78th minute to give the Dukes their first-ever berth in the championship match.

Duquesne will not play Fordham, George Washington or Saint Louis this season.

Duquesne looks to defend their title at the 2016 Atlantic 10 Championship - November 3rd through 6th. The University of Rhode Island will be the host.