PREVIEW: DUQMSOCCER at Michigan

Dukes open 2022 season in Ann Arbor

Duquesne men's soccer, which returns eight starters from last year's Atlantic 10 Championship runner-up squad, opens its 28th season at Michigan on Thursday, Aug. 25 at 4:00 p.m. (BTN+/subscription required) at U-M Soccer Complex in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Dukes, who finished 10-7-2 in 2021, also welcome back a number of additional veterans from a team that made the program's first A-10 title game appearance since 2002. DU's 10 wins were its most since 2006.

The Wolverines went 8-7-3 overall, and 4-3-1 (4th place) in Big Ten play in 2021.

Duquesne is 12-12-3 all-time in season openers, including a 2-8-2 mark when opening on the road. DU is 4-3-2 in opening games under tenth-year head coach Chase Brooks (1-3-1 on the road).

The Dukes, who are opening with three-straight road games for the first time in program history, will be looking to open with a road win for the first time since 2015 (3-1 at Niagara).

DU's home opener is Sept. 6 vs. James Madison.

THE SERIES VS. MICHIGAN

This is the second meeting between the Dukes and Wolverines, with U-M taking a 3-0 decision at Ann Arbor on Oct. 13, 2015.
Duquesne is 1-8-1 all-time vs. the Big Ten, with the win coming at Ohio State on Sept. 21, 2003 (1-0) and the tie coming at Michigan State on Aug. 30, 1997 (0-0). The records by school: 0-2 vs. Maryland, 0-1 vs. Michigan, 0-3-1 vs. Michigan State, 1-0 vs. Ohio State and 0-2 vs. Penn State.
DU has never faced a Big Ten team at home.

AN AMBITIOUS SCHEDULE

In addition to the game at Michigan, the Dukes will also face national powers Akron (Sept. 28) and Pitt (Oct. 17) in non-conference play.
This is the first time in program history the DU is opening with three-straight road games.
DU will play seven matches at home and 11 on the road.

TEAM NOTES

DU enters the 2022 season without a loss in its past eight home games (7-0-1).
The Dukes ranked 15th nationally in shots/g. (15.47) and fifth in shots on goal/g. (7.26) last season.
Duquesne's 1.84 goals/g. last season (35 goals/19g.) was the third-highest average in program history.
DU (10-7-2 last year) is looking to post back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time since 2005 & 2006.
Duquesne was picked to finish 7th of 14 teams in the Atlantic 10 preseason coaches poll. The top eight regular season finishers qualify for the Atlantic 10 Championship.
Duquesne's captains for 2022 are M Nate Dragisich, F Maxi Hopfer, GK Domenic Nascimben and D Torge Witteborg.

PRESEASON HONORS

Maxi Hopfer and Nate Dragisich were both named to the 12-man A-10 Preseason All-Conference Team.
Hopfer was also named as one of United Soccer Coaches' 30 Division I "Forwards to Watch."

QUICK HITS

Duquesne is in its tenth season under head coach Chase Brooks. Brooks has led the Dukes to four Atlantic 10 Conference tournament appearances (2013, 2015, 2016 & 2021), including an A-10 Championship game appearance - the program's first since 2002 - last season.
The Dukes return eight starters including: M Harper Cook, M/F Nate Dragisich, D Jack Emanuel, M Ryan
Goodhew, F Maxi Hopfer, F Zach Mowka, D/M Tom Tzabari and GK Domenic Nascimben.
Hopfer, a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Southeast Region and First Team All-Atlantic 10 performer in 2021, leads the Dukes with 13 career goals. The Styria, Austria native, who made the A-10 All-Rookie team as a freshman, led the Dukes in points (28) and goals (11) last season.
Hopfer's 11 goals and 28 points were the most by a DU player since 2015. His 77 shots were the third-most ever by a Duke.
Hopfer ranked t5th nationally in shots on goal/g. (2.00) and 6th in shots/g. (4.28).
Hopfer led the Atlantic 10 in shots and shots on goal per game. His 11 goals ranked second in the conference.
Additional veteran returnees include: M/F Ade Akinjogbin (35 games/23 starts at Wofford and Duquesne), M Rodrigo Albayeros (27/7 at FAU and Duquesne), M Logan Muck (61/27 at Evansville and Duquesne) and D Kendall Newman (39/31 at Duquesne).
In addition to its veteran core, DU has 16 newcomers - including 10 freshmen - on the 2021 roster.
Incoming transfers include: D Anthony Harding (Pitt), Tate Mohney (Elizabethtown), Jesper Moksnes (Virginia), Cameron Territo (Western Illinois) and Christoffer Vie Angell (UAB).
Fourth-year junior M/F Nate Dragisich, who earned Second Team All-A-10 honors as well as a spot on the A-10 All-Championship Team in 2021, leads all returnees in career games played (43) and started (42).
The Dukes return five multiple-goal scorers in Hopfer (11), Dragisich (5), Mowka (5), Goodhew (4) and Muck (2).
Graduate student Domenic Nascimben has played every minute in net for the Dukes for the past two seasons (includes the abbreviated 2021 spring campaign). Nascimben, a native of Sydney, Australia, stopped 98 shots last year, which ranked fifth on DU's single-season list and second nationally. His 5.16 saves/g. ranked 12th nationally in 2021.
Nascimben's 17 saves in three A-10 Championship games last year were nine more than the nearest player. His .810 Championship save pct. was second only to Saint Louis' Patrick Schulte's .889.
DU has been recognized by the United Soccer Coaches for its outstanding academic performance with a Team Academic Award (minimum 3.0 team GPA) 20 times in the past 23 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 eight of the past nine years including current roster members Nate Dragisich (2019), Maxi Hopfer (2020) & Jack Emanuel (2021).