Men's Soccer 9/15/2022 7:11:00 PM

PREVIEW: Men's Soccer Hosts Loyola Chicago in A-10 Opener

Dukes and Ramblers kick off at 7:00 p.m. Saturday

Duquesne (5-0-1), coming off a 1-1 draw at Wright State on Tuesday, returns home to open the Atlantic 10 season against first-year conference member Loyola Chicago (4-0-2) on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7:00 p.m. on Rooney Field (ESPN+).

The Dukes and Ramblers enter conference play as two of five A-10 teams without a loss this season, joining Dayton (5-0), UMass (5-0-1) and Rhode Island (3-0-3).

The Dukes, who were the first team in program history to start 5-0, are one game shy of tying the school record for most games without a loss to open a season set in 2002 (5-0-2) and tied by Chase Brooks' Dukes in 2019 (6-0-1).

DU enters the Loyola game unbeaten in its past 10 matches on Rooney Field (9-0-1, including 2-0 this season).

DU, which is among others receiving votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches Top 25 for the second-consecutive week, has posted four shutouts in six games.

Loyola has been equally stingy, with four shutouts in six games as well.

Scoring will be at a premium as both the Dukes and Ramblers have conceded just two goals each in their first six games.

Following the Loyola game, DU will be idle until next Saturday when it heads to Amherst, Mass. to face UMass.

THE SERIES VS. LOYOLA

This is just the second meeting between the Dukes and Ramblers. The two tied, 1-1, at the Cleveland State Tournament on Sept. 18, 1999.

LAST GAME

Wright State scored off a corner in the 86th minute to tie the Dukes, 1-1, in Dayton.
Torge Witteborg scored in the 13th minute off a pass from Nate Dragisich for the Dukes.
DU keeper Domenic Nascimben recorded five saves.
Maxi Hopfer and Ask Ekeland led the Dukes with three shots each.
Duquesne, which was outshot 15-9, had an 8-5 advantage in corner kicks.

TEAM NOTES

Duquesne opened the season with three consecutive road games (all wins) for the first time in program history.
DU got off to the first 5-0 start in program history.
Duquesne's three-straight road wins to start the season were one shy of the school record for consecutive road victories (accomplished three times). 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.

DUQUESNE MOST GAMES WITHOUT A LOSS TO OPEN A SEASON

7	6-0-1 in 2019*
7	5-0-2 in 2002
6	5-0-1 in 2022*
6	3-0-3 in 2008

* - under Chase Brooks

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.
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 14 goals have come from nine players. Freshman Ask Ekeland and junior Torge Witteborg lead the team with three scores each.
Maxi 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 (49) and started (48). Dragisich has posted a point in five of six games, including a past four in a row. His five assists lead the team.
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 six 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).