PREVIEW: Men's Soccer Home Opener vs. James Madison

Its Dukes vs. Dukes Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

PITTSBURGH - Duquesne (3-0), off to its best start since 2013, opens the home season against another set of Dukes when it takes on James Madison (1-2) on Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+).

DU, which has already exceeded last year's road win total (2-7-1), enters Tuesday's game without a loss in its past eight home games (7-0-1).

James Madison, coming off a 3-0 loss at Virginia on Thursday, was picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt Conference preseason poll.

This is the second of three-straight road games for JMU and first of back-to-back home games for Duquesne, which hosts Howard on Saturday night.

THE SERIES VS. JAMES MADISON

This is the third meeting between the Dukes and Dukes with JMU holding a 2-0 series edge.
In addition to it being JMU's first visit to DU, it is also the first meeting between the two since Sept. 5, 1999 (a 2-0 James Madison win in Harrisonburg, Va.).
JMU returns a pair of Preseason All-Sun Belt Team picks in F Luca Erhardt and M Rodrigo Robles.

LAST GAME

Duquesne got goals from Logan Muck (4') and Cameron Territo (47') in posting a 2-1 victory at Robert Morris on Aug. 31.
Nate Dragisich and Jesper Moksnes assisted on Muck's goal, while Harper Cook was credited with a helper on Territo's game-winner.
DU, which was outshot 9-5, limited the Colonials to just one second-half shot, in extending its season-opening win streak to three.
Domenic Nascimben was credited with one save in the win.

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. It is the best start by a DU team since Chase Brooks' first edition Dukes opened 4-0 in 2013.

DUQUESNE MOST CONSECUTIVE WINS TO START A SEASON

4-0	2013
3-0	2022
3-0	2003

Duquesne's three consecutive road wins are one shy of the school record (accomplished three times) as well as the most since 2009.
DU enters the 2022 season without a loss in its past eight home games (7-0-1).
Duquesne's season-opening 1-0 win at Michigan was the program's first victory over a Power 5 team since 2003.
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's captains for 2022 are M Nate Dragisich, F Maxi Hopfer, GK Domenic Nascimben and D Torge Witteborg.
Witteborg was named A-10 Defensive Player of the Week following DU's 1-0 wins at Michigan and Canisius.
Keeper Domenic Nascimben (back-to-back shutouts) was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week (Aug. 29).

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 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.
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.
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 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 (46) and started (45).
The Dukes return five multiple-goal scorers in Hopfer (11), Dragisich (5), Mowka (5), Goodhew (4) and Muck (2). Of the five, Muck has found the back of the net in 2022.
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, 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. He opened the 2022 season with back-to-back shutout wins at Michigan and Canisius.
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).