PREVIEW: Men's Soccer at Wright State

Dukes head to Dayton for Tuesday afternoon matchup

Duquesne (5-0), coming off back-to-back home wins, hits the road to face Wright State (0-3-2) on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 5:00 p.m. (no stream).

The Dukes, off to the first 5-0 start in program history, are 3-0 on the road. DU enters the WSU game looking to tie the school record for consecutive road wins accomplished three times (2005 last).

DU, which was among others receiving votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches Top 25 (new poll to be announced Tuesday afternoon), has posted four shutouts in five games.

Wright State is coming off a 2-2 tie with IUPUI in its first home game played on Saturday. The Raiders' challenging early-season schedule has included road games at Akron (L, 1-5) and Ohio State (L, 0-2).

The Dukes, who have gotten 13 goals from nine players, have conceded just one goal in their first five games.

Duquesne will return home to open the Atlantic 10 season vs. first-year conference member Loyola Chicago on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+).

THE SERIES VS. WRIGHT STATE

Wright State leads the series, 4-1, including 3-0 in Dayton.
Last year, the Dukes notched their first series win by a 2-1 score on Oct. 26 on Rooney Field. An own goal in the 89th minute was the difference.

LAST GAME

Duquesne scored early and often in running away from Howard, 7-0, on Rooney Field Saturday night.
The seven goals were the most by a DU team since a 10-0 win over Fordham in 2002 as well as tied for the third-most in a game in program history.
Ask Ekeland (6' & 13') recorded a brace in the first 13 minutes and was joined in the scoring column by Torge Witteborg (21'), Ryan Goodhew (43'), Maxi Hopfer (57'), Cameron Territo (68') and Jacob Casha (89').
Domenic Nascimben was outstanding in net with a career-high 11 saves, including stops of penalty kicks in the 82nd and 87th minutes to preserve his fourth shutout in five games.

TEAM NOTES

Duquesne opened the season with three consecutive road games for the first time in program history. The Dukes went 3-0 in those games.
This is the first 5-0 start in program history.
Duquesne's three consecutive road wins are one shy of the school record (accomplished three times) as well as the most since 2009. DU was 2-7-1 on the road last season.
DU is undefeated in its past 10 home games (9-0-1, 2-0 this year). The last home loss occurred during the pandemic-related spring season on Mar. 27, 2021 (2-0 to St. Bonaventure).
Duquesne's season-opening 1-0 win at Michigan was the program's first victory over a Power 5 team since 2003.
DU's seven goals in the 7-0 win over Howard tied the third-highest single-game goal total in program history. The seven scores were the most since a school record 10 in a 10-0 win over Fordham in 2002.
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'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."
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.

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 returned 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.
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). All five have played significant early-season roles.
Duquesne's 13 goals this season have come from nine players. Freshman Ask Ekeland leads the team with three.
Hopfer, a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Southeast Region and First Team All-Atlantic 10 performer in 2021, leads the Dukes with 14 career goals (one this season). 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 led the Atlantic 10 in shots and shots on goal per game. His 11 goals ranked second in the conference.
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 (48) and started (47).
Graduate student Domenic Nascimben has played every minute in net for the Dukes for the past two-plus seasons (includes the abbreviated 2021 spring campaign). Nascimben, a native of Sydney, Australia, has posted four shutouts in DU's first five games. He turned away a career-high 11 shots - including penalty kicks in the 82nd and 87th minute - in the 7-0 win over Howard.
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).