PREVIEW: @DuqMSoccer at Davidson

Dukes on the road for next three

Duquesne (6-3, 2-0), idle since last Saturday's 3-0 home win over La Salle, heads to North Carolina to face Davidson (6-3, 1-1) on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+).

The Davidson game is the first of three consecutive Atlantic 10 road games for the Dukes whose 2-0 conference start is the program's best since the 2005 A-10 regular season co-champions opened with four-straight wins.

Davidson, coming off a 2-1 non-conference home win on Wednesday, is 3-2 at home this season. The Wildcats opened A-10 play with a 1-0 loss at St. Bonaventure on Sept. 18 and added a 2-1 home win over Rhode Island on Sept. 25.

Duquesne's three losses have come on the road to Power 5 schools including at then-No. 3 Pitt and at then-No. 17 Kentucky and at Michigan State.

DU, which has scored multiple goals versus every non-Power 5 opponent, has found the back of the net 20 times in nine games.

The Dukes ranked 18th nationally in total goals (20) and 15th in total assists (21) through Wednesday's games.

DU follows the Davidson game with matches at VCU on Oct. 6 and at Saint Joseph's on Oct. 16.

Click here for the current A-10 standings.

THE SERIES VS. DAVIDSON

Davidson leads the young series 4-1, including a 3-0 advantage in matches in Davidson, N.C.
The Wildcats have won the past three meetings, including a 5-0 win in the last match between the two at Alumni Stadium on Nov. 2, 2019.
Duquesne has been shut out in four of the five meetings, with the exception being a 3-1 Dukes win on Rooney Field in 2015.
Davidson was picked to finish 8th in the Atlantic 10 preseason Coaches Poll (DU was picked tied for 10th).

LAST GAME

Maxi Hopfer scored twice (2' & 39') to lead the Dukes to a 3-0 home win over La Salle.
Nate Dragisich added a goal (5') and an assist and Ryan Landry and Logan Muck also registered assists to give the Dukes a 5-0 record at home.
Duquesne outshot the Explorers 23-15, including 13-5 on goal.
Domenic Nascimben had five saves in posting his second shutout of the season for DU.

AN AMBITIOUS SCHEDULE
Two of Duquesne's three losses have come on the road to nationally-ranked teams (at then-No. 3 Pitt and at then-No. 17 Kentucky). In addition to the Panthers and Wildcats, DU is facing another team currently among those also receiving votes in the current United Soccer Coaches Top 25 (VCU). Michigan State, which was the third Power Five road game on the schedule, handed DU its third defeat.

THIS YEAR

DU's 20 goal total has quadrupled the team's output (5) in its seven 2021 spring matches.
Maxi Hopfer, a member of the 2020 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, leads the Dukes with 18 points including braces against Saint Francis U, Canisius and La Salle.
Hopfer, who leads the Dukes in points (18), goals (7), shots (31) and shots on goal (15), ranks T8th nationally in points per game (2.0) and T9th in goals per game (0.78).
Six players have accounted for the Dukes' 20 goals with Hopfer (7), Ryan Goodhew (3), Zach Mowka (3), Nate Dragisich (3), Ryan Landry (2) and Logan Muck (2) all multiple goal scorers.
Eleven players have registered at least one assist for DU.
Junior Domenic Nascimben has played every minute in net for the Dukes. His 42 saves in nine games ranked T6th nationally through Wednesday. His 4.67 saves per game is the second-best average in the A-10 and ranks T21st nationally.
Nascimben has a pair of shutouts on the young season (4-0 over Canisius & 3-0 over La Salle). He also registered his first career point with a secondary assist on the game-winning goal vs. Saint Francis U on Aug. 31. He was named A-10 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 20 (following the shutout win over Canisius and 3-1 victory over GW).
DU's 2021 captains are #1 Domenic Nascimben (GK) and #17 Ryan Landry (D/M).

MAXI HOPFER ON NATIONAL LISTS
thru Wednesday

CATEGORY	TOTAL	RANK
Total Points	18	T5th
Total Goals	7	T6th
Points/g.	2.00	T8th
Goals/g.	0.78	T9th
Shots/g.	3.44	T20th

PROGRAM NOTES

Duquesne is in its ninth season under head coach Chase Brooks. Brooks has led the Dukes to three Atlantic 10 Conference tournament appearances (2013, 2015 & 2016).
The Dukes return 10 of 11 starters from the 2021 spring roster.
A total of 15 players made their Duquesne debut in the spring.
DU returns just six players from its 2019 roster.
Fifth-year defender/midfielder Ryan Landry leads all returnees in career games played (61) and career starts (55). Kendall Newman (34 games), Nate Dragisich (33 games) and Eric Zech (31 games) are the only other field players who entered the season with more than seven games of experience in a Duquesne uniform.
The Dukes have eight transfers in junior M/F Ade Akinjogbin (Wofford), sophomore M Rodrigo Albayeros (Florida Atlantic), sophomore D Jacob Benintendi (Xavier), junior D Jaime Borjas (Graceland U.), sophomore M Harper Cook (American), freshman F Jayden Da (Washington & Jefferson), junior M Logan Muck (Evansville) and sophomore D Torge Witteborg (Ottawa University-Arizona). Cook and Da joined the team this summer, the other six participated in the spring season.
Duquesne has produced the 14th-most Men's Soccer Academic All-Americas (11) over the past 20 years.
DU has been recognized by the United Soccer Coaches for its outstanding academic performance with a Team Academic Award (minimum 3.0 team GPA) 19 times in the past 22 years. No other Atlantic 10 men's soccer program has been recognized more than Duquesne since the award was instituted in 1996.
Duquesne produced at least one Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team member in seven of the past eight years including current roster members Ryan Landry (2016), Nate Dragisich (2019) and Maxi Hopfer (2020).