PREVIEW: @DuqMSoccer vs. Robert Morris

Dukes host Colonials in home opener Sunday at 2 pm

Duquesne (0-1), coming off a 7-0 season-opening defeat at No. 3 Pitt on Thursday, opens the 2021 home season vs. Robert Morris (0-1) on Sunday, Aug. 29 at 2:00 p.m. on Rooney Field (ESPN+).

This is the first of eight home games (four non-conference and four Atlantic 10) for Duquesne, which is in its 27th season as a program.

DU is 54-22-11 all-time in non-conference home games, including a 21-7-3 mark under head coach Chase Brooks.

The Dukes are 5-0-2 in their past seven non-conference home matches.

Robert Morris opened its season with a 2-0 home loss to West Virginia on Thursday.

THE SERIES VS. ROBERT MORRIS

Duquesne leads the series 16-6-3.
In matches played on Rooney Field, DU leads 11-1-0.
DU has won the past 10 meetings at home vs. RMU. The Colonials lone Rooney Field win came on Sept. 22, 1998 by a 4-0 score.
Duquesne head coach Chase Brooks is 4-2-1 vs. Robert Morris at DU.
The Dukes are 3-0-1 vs. RMU in the past four meetings, including a 2-0 win at RMU in the last meeting between the two (Sept. 18, 2019). Nate Dragisich and Kendall Newman are the only two members of the current DU roster who played in that game.

LAST GAME

No. 3 Pitt scored three first half goals in a span of just under eight minutes to take control in posting a 7-0 win over Duquesne at Ambrose Urbanic Field on Thursday.
Pitt, which was the highest ranked team Duquesne has ever faced, started nine of the 11 who appeared in last spring's College Cup semifinal.
Jaime Borjas, Ryan Goodhew, Maxi Hopfer and Zach Mowka registered shots for DU.
The Dukes were outshot 16-4.
DU keeper Domenic Nascimben finished with six saves.

AN AMBITIOUS SCHEDULE
Duquesne is facing four teams either ranked (#3 Pitt & #14 Kentucky) or among those also receiving votes (Dayton & UMass) in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25.

QUICK HITS

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 including M/F Ade Akinjogbin, M Rodrigo Albayeros, D Jacob Benintendi, M/F Nate Dragisich, F Maxi Hopfer, D/M Ryan Landry, D Kendall Newman, D Eric Zech and GK Domenic Nascimben. In addition, D Jaime Borjas started all four games he played in the spring.
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 (53) and career starts (47). Kendall Newman (34 games), Eric Zech (27 games) and Nate Dragisich (25 games) are the only other field players who entered the season with more than seven games of experience in a Duquesne uniform.
Dragisich, a member of the 2019 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, leads the Dukes with three career goals. Maxi Hopfer, who earned a spot on the 2020 A-10 All-Rookie Team in the spring and Landry are the only other Dukes with multiple goals (two each). Logan Muck and Zech are the only other DU players with a goal.
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.
Junior Domenic Nascimben played every minute in net in the spring for the Dukes. Nascimben, a native of Sydney, Australia, stopped 34 shots in seven games. His 4.86 saves per game ranked 11th nationally. Nascimben had six saves in the opener at No. 3 Pitt.
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).
DU's 2021 captains are #1 Domenic Nascimben (GK) and #17 Ryan Landry (D/M).