Huntington, W.Va. – A pair of Duquesne University men's soccer student-athletes earned postseason accolades from United Soccer Coaches Tuesday, as sophomore midfielder
Ask Ekeland was named to the 2023 NCAA Division I All-Southeast Region Second Team, while junior forward
Jayden Da earned third team honors.
Ekeland, a native of Stavanger, Norway, was one of three Dukes to start all 18 games in 2023 and led Duquesne in scoring, amassing 27 points thanks to 12 goals and three assists. He also paced the team in shots (50) and shots on goal (23) and produced a team-high five game-winning goals. Ekeland produced a multi-goal effort four times during the 2023 campaign, including
three goals in a 5-1 triumph at Virginia Tech (8/27) in the second game of the year as part of the Fairfield Inn by Marriott Invitational.
In the Duquesne single-season record book, Ekeland matched the program record for game-winning markers that was originally established by Steve Mellor (2002-05) in 2003. He is also tied for third in goals, as Damien Pottinger also scored 12 goals in 2003, while ranking fifth in points.
For his efforts, Ekeland was
named the 2023 Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year while also earning a spot on the 2023 All-Atlantic 10 First Team. In two seasons, Ekeland has started all 37 games for the Dukes and has tallied 20 goals and four assists for 44 points. He is the sixth student-athlete in program history to accumulate at least 20 goals and ranks 10th at Duquesne for career points.
RELATED: 2023 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I All-Region Teams
Da, a native of Rockville, Md., appeared in 16 games for the Dukes in 2023, including 13 starts. He ranked second for Duquesne in shots (35), shots on goal (19), goals (7) and points (17) en route to being named to the 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Third Team.
Registering a point in each of the first six games of the year, Da posted five goals and a pair of assists during that stretch, including both goals in a 2-1 win at Niagara (9/9). Da finished with a trio of game-winning goals during the 2023 season. For his efforts, Da earned a spot on the 2023 All-Atlantic 10 Second Team.
Over the last three seasons, Da has appeared in 46 games for the Dukes, earning 14 starts. He owns 20 career points thanks to eight goals and four assists and has accumulated 48 shots, including 24 on goal. Da has also been successful on his only career attempt with a penalty kick, scoring at Davidson (10/4) earlier this season.
Led by head coach
Chase Brooks, who concluded his 11th season with the Dukes in 2023, Duquesne finished with an overall record of 8-7-3 (.528), including a mark of 4-2-2 (.625) in the A-10.
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