PITTSBURGH - Duquesne celebrated senior day by clinching a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship for the first time since 2016 with a 19-11 victory over visiting La Salle on a sun-filled Saturday afternoon at Arthur J. Rooney Field. The Dukes cap the regular season with a 9-7 overall record with a 4-5 mark in A-10 play.

Duquesne earned the No. 6 seed for the A-10 Championship and will play No. 3 Richmond in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, April 25 at 4 p.m. in Fairfax, Va.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Prior to the contest, Duquesne seniors Taylor Hopkins, Sarah Kollhoff, Erin Conway, Courtney Battles, Millie Micho, Megan Buettner and Haley Matthai were recognized for their contributions to the Dukes' program.
• After the Explorers (5-11, 3-6) took an early 3-2 lead, Duquesne closed the half on an 11-1 run to gain a 13-4 halftime advantage.
• Rilee Bradshaw netted a team-high four goals followed by Sarah Kollhoff with a hat trick and Maddie Hart with a pair of scores in the opening frame.
• La Salle opened the second stanza with four straight goals to shrink the DU lead to 13-8.
• However, the Dukes would outscore the Explorers 6-3 the rest of the way ignited by two more goals by Bradshaw as well as two from Michaela Connolly.

KEY STATS

• Rilee Bradshaw finished with a game-high six goals. This is her third six-goal performance in the last six games. She added four draw controls in the win for Duquesne.
• Sarah Kollhoff netted four goals to go with three draw controls.
• Maddie Hart had a hat trick and recorded game highs of seven draw controls and five ground balls.
• Megan Buettner and Michaela Connolly each scored a pair of goals with an assist.
• Kirsten Barnes and Carlee Braverman added goals for the Dukes.
• Maddie Dachowski had a team-high three goals for La Salle.
• Duquesne outshot La Salle 34-27, including 22-7 in the first half.

NOTES

• The Dukes last qualified for the A-10 Tournament in 2016, falling to Richmond 10-9 in overtime in the quarterfinals. DU's last win in the A-10 Championship was in 2013 when the Dukes topped Temple 12-8 in the semifinals.
• Duquesne's nine wins are the most since the 2016 campaign.

NEXT UP

• Duquesne travels to Fairfax, Va. for the 2019 A-10 Championship.
• The No. 6 seed Dukes take on No. 3 seed Richmond on Thursday, April 25 at 4 p.m.
• The winner moves on to face No. 2 seed George Mason in the semifinal round on Friday, April 26 at 4 p.m.
• Be sure to check back to GoDuquesne.com in the coming days for more information on the 2019 A-10 Championship