PITTSBURGH - The Dukes open the home portion of the 2020 schedule hosting Canisius on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Arthur J. Rooney Field.

Duquesne dropped a close decision on the road in its season opener at Ohio State on Friday night. The Golden Griffins fell by a score of 21-6 at fourth-ranked Syracuse on Friday at the Carrier Dome. 

Rilee Bradshaw (Middletown, Md. / Middletown) picked up right where she left off as the Atlantic 10's leading goal scorer in 2019, netting four goals to pace the Dukes against the Buckeyes. It marked her ninth career game with at least four goals. Fellow senior captain Kirsten Barnes (Brielle, N.J. / Manasquan) notched her fourth career hat trick for Duquesne, while First Team A-10 All-Conference defender Sydney Reed (Victor, N.Y. / Victor) tallied six caused turnovers. 

The Dukes, who are coming off a 9-8 season in 2019, were recently selected to finish fifth in the 2020 Atlantic 10 Preseason Coaches' Poll. 

Duquesne qualified for its first A-10 Championship Tournament since 2016 last season under second-year head coach Corinne Desrosiers. The Dukes set new single-season program records in 2019 for goals with 270, points with 371 and shots attempted with 669.

Canisius posted a 3-15 record in 2019 with a 2-6 ledger in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Golden Griffins were picked to finish eighth in the nine-team 2020 MAAC Preseason Poll. Monmouth and Fairfield shared the top spot in the MAAC poll. 

Senior Riley Lucarelli was a Second Team All-MAAC selection a year ago for Canisius. Midfielder Marissa Malvaso entered 2020 as the Golden Griffins' returning leading goal scorer with 31 a year ago. 


THE SERIES
Wednesday marks the 14th all-time meeting between the two schools, with Duquesne holding a 7-6 advantage in the series which dates back to the 1998 season. The Golden Griffins have won three straight over the Dukes, including a 23-12 decision in Buffalo in the teams' last meeting on March 8, 2017. 

Duquesne and Canisius played back-to-back overtime games in 2013 and '14, with the Golden Griffins securing an 11-9 win in Buffalo in 2013 before the Dukes returned the favor with a 
12-11 victory at Rooney Field in 2014. 


NEXT UP
Following the matchup against Canisius, the Dukes hit the road for a three-game road swing at Penn State, Saint Francis U and Delaware. Duquesne is back in action at home again on 
Wednesday, March 11 hosting Akron at 4 p.m.