PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne women's soccer team opens up Atlantic 10 play Thursday at 7:00 P.M. when the Rhode Island Rams visit Rooney Field. 

The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and live stats will be available.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN

• All-Time Series: Duquesne is 4-12-4 against Rhode Island all-time.
• First Meeting: Oct. 26, 1996 at Rhode Island – Tied 1-1 (OT)
• Last Meeting: Oct. 17, 2021 at Rhode Island – Rhode Island won, 2-1 | Recap | Box Score
• Streak: Duquesne, L1

QUICK HITS

• After a week of no matches, Duquesne sits at 2-3 heading into conference play.
• The Dukes have lost their past two games against Buffalo and Drexel.
• Both of Duquesne's wins this season have been comeback wins, with the first one coming against Ohio in the Dukes' season opener Aug. 18.  
• Junior forward Jaimi Araujo scored her first goal of the season at Youngstown State Aug. 25 and freshman midfielder Mackenzie Muir notched the game-winning goal in the 66^th-minute to clinch the win at YSU.
• Senior midfielder Sarah Wilkinson and freshman forward Maya Matesa scored the two goals to give Duquesne the win against Ohio on Aug. 18, 2-1, in the home opener.
• Matesa was named A-10 Rookie of the Week Aug. 22 for her performance in the first two games of the season.
• It is believed that Duquesne has more true freshmen on its team than any other D-I team in the nation with 17.
• The Dukes have eight players that have recorded a point so far through five games. Five of those players have been freshmen.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Maddy Neundorfer has recorded the fifth-most saves in the A-10 so far with 32. She has made at least five saves in every match this year.
• Duquesne was picked to finish in 10th place by the league's coaches, tied with George Washington, in the annual Atlantic 10 women's soccer preseason poll. 
• The Dukes return eight starters from the 2021 season, including five of their top six scorers. 
• Sophomore forward Emma Bundy led the team and ranked third in the A-10 with 1.33 points per game and 0.556 goals per game despite playing just nine games due to injury. She is still looking to get on the scoresheet as she builds her minutes.
• Araujo, who also missed time due to injury last season, scored four times and had 10 points on the season. She has a goal and an assist through five games so far.
• Sophomore defender Karley Steinher missed the last six games of the season, but still managed to rack up nine points and three goals last year. She has played 391 minutes through five games, the third-most on the team.
• Senior defender Ashley Rodriguez started all 16 games last year and tallied the most minutes on the team with 1,483. She scored on two penalty kicks in 2021.
• The Dukes averaged 1.188 goals per game last season, which ranked fifth in the A-10.
• Duquesne ranked fourth in the A-10 with 6.00 shots on-goal per game and fifth with 11.69 shots per game.
• The team was disciplined in 2021, committing the second-least number of fouls in the conference with 129.

DUQUESNE HEAD COACH AL ALVINE (Robert Morris '92)

• Al Alvine is in his 11^th season as the head coach of the Dukes in 2022.
• The Dukes' all-time winningest coach boasts a record of 72-85-22 on the Bluff and 35-48-10 in Atlantic 10 play. His career mark stands at 202-149-40.
• Alvine inherited a three-win team prior to the 2012 season and quadrupled that total in four years. 
• He set a program record with 12 victories in 2015 – which included the program's first-ever A-10 Championship and NCAA Tournament bid.
• His teams have totaled 11 or more wins three times during his tenure.
• Alvine has coached four First-Team and three Second-Team All-Atlantic 10 picks, including 2017 A-10 Midfielder of the Year Linnea Faccenda.
• He was named the fifth head coach in Duquesne women's soccer history on December 29, 2011.
• Alvine came to the Bluff after spending five seasons as head coach at California University of Pennsylvania, where he went 72-28-11 – including a 38-2-6 mark over his final two seasons with the Vulcans. 

SCOUTING THE RAMS (ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS)

• Rhode Island is 1-4-3 coming out of non-conference play with its one win being from a road match at Vermont.
• The Rams are 1-0-2 in their last three, with their last two games being ties against Holy Cross and Quinnipiac.
• Senior forward Brooke Cavino leads the Rams with three goals and six points.
• Sophomore midfielder Hope Santaniello has started all eight games and leads the team with three assists.
• The goalkeepers on the Rams have split time this season, with junior Faith Hutchins starting five games and junior Carly Travers starting three.
• Rhode Island was picked to finish ninth in the A-10, just in front of the Dukes.
• The Rams have six newcomers this year.
• Rhode Island went 6-9-2 and 5-4-1 in the conference in 2021.
• Megan Jessee is in her sixth season as the Rams' head coach. Her all-time record at Rhode Island is 16-62-13.

FOLLOW THE DUKES
For the latest news and updates for Duquesne women's soccer, follow @DuqWSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.