PITTSBURGH - The Duquesne University men's soccer team will look to snap a two-game skid Wednesday night, traveling to St. Bonaventure for a non-conference matchup against the Bonnies.

THE BASICS 
October 11, 2023 | 7:00 PM | Tom 80' and Michelle Marra Athletics Field Complex  (St. Bonaventure, N.Y.)

Duquesne Dukes (5-4-2, 2-2-1 A-10) 

• Streak: L2 | Roster | Stats | Schedule 

St. Bonaventure Bonnies (4-5-3, 1-3-1 A10) 

• Streak: T1 | Roster | Stats | Schedule 

GAMEDAY COVERAGE

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BY THE NUMBERS 


THE DUKES

• Duquesne lost its season opener at James Madison, but they bounced back strong by picking up at least a point in seven of their next nine including three road wins against Virginia Tech, Niagara and St. Joseph's.  

• The Dukes dropped their second conference match of the year last time out against George Mason.  

• Duquesne picked up points in their first three conference games, going 2-0-1.  

• Ask Ekeland and Jayden Da lead the Dukes with six goals each on the year, ranking 48th in the nation and 3rd in the A-10.  

• Ekeland averages 0.55 goals per game, which is third best in the A-10.  

• Da averages 0.6 goals per game – the second-best mark in the A-10 and 41st best in Division I … Three of the six scores have been game winners - the most in the A-10 and sixth-most in the NCAA … He recorded a goal in his last appearance against Davidson, giving him a team-leading 15 points this season.  

• DU is 3-2-1 when Da scores, with wins against Virginia Tech, Niagara and Robert Morris. 

• Duquesne is second in the A-10 and ranks 14th nationally in saves per game with 4.89.  

• The Dukes lead the A-10 in Shot accuracy at a 48% clip, which is 34th best in the nation.  

• DU is seventh in the A-10 and 56th in the nation in assists with 18 … The Dukes have had nine assists over the past eight goals (seven games). 

• Duquesne goalkeeper Zolton Nagy has two clean sheets this season. He ranks 9th in the nation and second in the Atlantic 10 with 53 saves.  

• Ekeland ranks third in the conference in shot accuracy at a 46.7% rate.  

• Ekeland (1.27) is third and Da (1.20) is fourth in the A-10 in shots on goal per game. 

• 12 players have accounted for the Dukes' 17 assists this season … Da leads the team with three.  

LAST TIME OUT 

• In the 56th minute, the Patriots (3-5-2 / 2-3-0 A-10) were able to find the back of the net. Duquesne was unable to clear out of its own box after a shot from Luis Maestre in the box, and Kelly Janssen was able to finish strong to put George Mason up, 1-0. 

• Duquesne had its opportunities for the equalizer, including three times in the final six minutes. Owning a 9-5 edge in shots in the second half, Ashton Jell had a chance with seven seconds remaining to tie it, but his shot missed high.  

• Jacob Casha had a team-leading three shots for Duquesne, which held the edge in shots overall, 17-9, while Janssen, in addition to his second goal of the year, finished with three shots to lead George Mason. 

• Zoltan Nagy recorded five saves for the Dukes, the fifth time during the 2023 campaign he's notched at least five saves in a game.  

THE BONNIES

• The St. Bonaventure Bonnies have been steady this season, going 4-5-3 to start 2023.  

• The Bonnies went 3-2-2 in non-conference play, collecting wins by multi-goal margins against Houston Christian, Niagara and Canisius.  

• They won their conference opener on Sept. 23rd against George Mason 2-0 ... The Bonnies have not won since then recording two ties and two losses with all but one of which in conference.

• St. Bonaventure is 3-2 at home this year. They were 2-5-1 last year at home.  

• Andres Javitt leads the Bonnies in goals with five on the year.  

• Javitt and Kenzo Brito both have 12 points to lead the team.  

• Jules Dechert leads all A-10 goalies in saves with 56.  

THE SERIES 

• Duquesne and St. Bonaventure have met 22 times since their first meeting in 2002 with DU holding a 14-5-3 advantage all-time.

• In their most recent match on October 12th, 2022, the Dukes blew out the Bonnies 5-1 at home thanks to a brace from Ask Ekeland.  

• The Dukes have taken four of the last 5 meetings against St. Bonaventure, outscoring them 12-4.  

• Duquesne is 5-2-2 on the road against the Bonnies.  

ROAD WARRIORS

• Since the start of 2022, Duquesne has had a winning record in games away from home with an 8-5-3 record.  

• They posted two notable wins away from home against Power Five schools with a 1-0 win over Michigan in 2022 and a 5-1 victory over Virginia Tech.   

ALL-TIME LEADERBOARD 

• Maxi Hopfer is currently 7th all-time at Duquesne with 18 goals scored over his career … Simon Gomez and Steve Mellor lead Hopfer by two with 20 career goals … Damien Pottinger (2000-03) holds the top spot in the record book with 38. 

• Hopfer is also 9th in career points with 46 … Four back of 8th place held by Dave Kovalcik (1995-97, 99) … Damien Pottinger (2000-03) also has the most points all-time with 89. 

• Hopfer moved up to fourth all-time in career shots after opening weekend … His 168 shots trail third place by 21, as Simon Gomez (2010-13) has 189 … Joshua Patterson (2009-12) took 220 in his career to lead all DU players. 

• Hopfer has seven game winning goals in his career, the 6th most in DU history. Steve Mellor (2002-05) is in 5th with 8 game winners … Damien Pottinger (2000-03) and David Gingrich (1999-02) are tied for the lead with 10. 

• Hopfer saw his first game action since the season opener on September 30th, playing 26 minutes, after battling an early-season injury. 

• Nate Dragisich is currently 3rd all-time at Duquesne in career assists with 20 … Simon Gomez (2010-13) is second with 27 and Derek MacKenzie (2001-04) is the all-time leader with 28 ... Dragisich has pulled into sixth all-time in career matches started at DU with 70 ... Noah Salsi (2003-06) is the all-time leader with 77 starts as a Duke.  

PRESEASON POLL 

• Duquesne was picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic 10 this season. Forward Maxi Hopfer and midfielder Ask Ekeland were named to the A-10 Preseason All-Conference Team. 

• DU totaled 144 points in the preseason poll, just two behind fourth place, VCU. Saint Louis took 13 of the 14 first place votes and totaled 195 points to be deemed the favorite after winning the A-10 title in 2022. Loyola Chicago, who beat the Dukes in the semifinals last season, grabbed the only remaining first-place vote and was picked to finish third, while Dayton claimed the second spot. 

HOPFER NAMED NATIONAL FORWARD TO WATCH 

• Junior forward Maxi Hopfer was named a National Forward to Watch by United Soccer Coaches this preseason. Hopfer has been a two-time All-Southeast Region selection by the United Soccer Coaches and has garnered A-10 postseason honors in each of his three seasons with the Dukes (All-Rookie Team in 2020, First Team All-A-10 in 2021, and Second Team All-A-10 in 2022). 

LOOKING BACK AT 2022 

• The 2022 Dukes, who finished 11-4-4, were in contention for the regular season A-10 crown down to the final game of the season. The Dukes, who were tabbed tied for seventh in the A-10 Preseason Poll, finished alone in second with a 4-1-3 mark. 

• The 11 wins in 2022 were the most by a Duquesne team since 2006. It was the first time DU posted back-to-back 10-win seasons since 2005 & 2006. 

• Along the way, the 2022 Dukes, who got off to the first 5-0 start in program history and set a record for most games without a loss to open a season (6-0-2), became the first Duquesne team since 2005 to earn a national ranking. DU appeared in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 for three weeks, reaching a high rank of No. 24 on Sept. 27. 

ABOUT THE COACH 

• Duquesne is led by 11th year head coach Chase Brooks. 

• Brooks is second all-time in program history with 69 wins and has accounted for three of the program's five postseason wins – all in the past two years. 

• Coach Brooks holds a 74-80-24 record at DU and is 96-86-34 all-time as a head coach including two seasons at Niagara … In A-10 play Brooks is 31-38-14. 

• Brooks has led the Dukes to five Atlantic 10 Conference tournament appearances (2013, 2015, 2016, 2021, & 2022), including an A-10 Championship game appearance - the program's first since 2002 – in 2021. 

ACADEMIC HONORS 

• DU has been recognized by the United Soccer Coaches for its outstanding academic performance with a Team Academic Award (minimum 3.0 team GPA) 21 times in the past 24 years. No other Atlantic 10 men's soccer program has been recognized more than Duquesne since the award was instituted in 1996. 

UP NEXT 

• Duquesne will come back home to host George Washington on Saturday at 7 PM.  

FOLLOW THE DUKES 

For the latest news and updates for Duquesne men's soccer, follow @DuqMSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.