PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne University women's lacrosse team concludes its 2023 season on Saturday with a road trip to Richmond.
 
THE BASICS
April 29, 2023 | 11:30 am | Robins Stadium (Richmond, Va.)
Duquesne Dukes (2-13, 1-7 A-10) at Richmond Spiders (13-3, 7-1 A-10)
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BY THE NUMBERS

Richmond leads the conference in draw control percentage (60.6%), 6^th in NCAA, draw controls per game (18.0), third in NCAA, shots per game (35.5), third in NCAA, and goals per game (16.0), sixth in NCAA. The Spiders are top five in the A-10 in every stat, except for ranking 10^th in save percentage (.359).
 
Duquesne is atop the A-10 leaderboard in free position percentage (50%) and ranks third in caused turnovers per game (8.7). The 45.3% shot percentage is good for fourth in the league, while on the defensive end the Dukes are 10^th in the A-10 allowing 16.9 goals per game.
 
THE DUKES
Roster | Schedule | Stats

Duquesne got eliminated from playoff contention with a 19-11 loss last Saturday to George Washington. The Dukes honored soon-to-be graduates Jillian Caroselli and Mady Piersielak prior to the game for Senior Day. Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw led four Dukes in the scoring column with four, while Mackenzie Leszczynski and Chelsea Evans each had three and Caroselli connected on a free-position goal. Duquesne held GW to 0-for-2 from the free position, its first shutout of the conference slate, and went 3-for-5 from the FP on the offensive end bringing the Dukes season free-position percentage to 50%, the A-10's best mark.
 
The win at La Salle two games ago snapped a nine-game losing streak. Duquesne has scored double digits in 10 of its 15 games, while allowing 12 or more in every game.
 
THIS SEASON IN THE RECORD BOOK
Mackenzie Leszczynski and Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw scored six goals each versus St. Bonaventure earlier this season, becoming the second pair of Dukes teammates in program history to net six goals apiece in a game, joining Kaelin Shaw and Jill Vacanti, who also did it against St. Bonaventure in April of 2016.
 
Rodriguez-Shaw also had six goals in the home match against Kent State on February 16, the six scores are tied for the sixth-most in a game in program history. She also tied for the second-most shots in a game ever at DU with 15 versus Central Michigan, and had 12 in both her six-goal matches, the 10^th most in program history.
 
Leszczynksi's nine points and four assists at La Salle were the most in a game by any Duke this season, while the nine points are tied for the eighth-most in a game in program history. She also tied the single-game DU record with 13 draw controls versus St. Bonaventure and tied for the ninth-most with eight versus UC Davis. The Dukes team won 22 draw controls in the St. Bonaventure game, tied for the fifth most in program history.
 
Mady Piersielak recorded a DU single-game record 14 ground balls at Stetson.
 
Hanna Pawela caused six turnovers at George Mason, tied for the sixth-most in a game in DU history.
 
A-10 HONORS
Mackenzie Leszczynski earned A-10 Offensive Player of the Week honors last week (April 17) after the five-goal, four-assist outing in the win at La Salle. It was the first A-10 Offensive Player of the Week award for a Duquesne player since Michaela Connolly in April of 2021, and the second A-10 weekly honor for Leszczynski of her career, also named the Defensive Player of the Week for the week of March 22 last season.
 
Chelsea Evans garnered A-10 Rookie of the Week honors on February 27 after a four-goal effort in the first win of the season over Youngstown State.
 
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw, a sophomore from Longmeadow, Mass., has scored multiple goals in 14 of the 15 matches this season and is atop the A-10 leaderboard in goals (49) and goals per game (3.27), ranking top-30 in the NCAA in both. The six goals versus SBU tied a career-high for the second time this season. She also leads the conference in shots on goal per game (5.07) and is second in shots per game (7.47). Rodriguez-Shaw ranks sixth in the conference with 63 points, averaging 4.20 per game. She converts at a 41.7% rate from free position and nets 0.67 FP goals per game.
 
Mackenzie Leszczynski has 59 points with 44 goals and 15 assists, averaging 2.93 goals per game (3^rd in the A-10). The sophomore from Flourtown, Pa. is the only Duke this season to have scored in all 13 matches, and she has had multiple goals in nine straight outings and has had five or more four times. The six goals in the home matchup against St. Bonaventure in late March were a career-high and came on just eight shots. Leszczynski is netting 53.7% of her shots and takes 5.47 shots per game with 4.27 going on goal, all of which rank sixth in the A-10. She is third in the conference with a 59.1% free position percentage and is fourth in free position goals per game (0.87). Leszczynski also averages 4.80 draw controls per game, the fifth-most in the A-10.
 
Freshman Chelsea Evans is up to 30 goals in her first season with multiple goals 10 times and scored in 13 of the 15 games this season, while dishing out seven assists. The Marlton, N.J. native nearly doubled her season assists total with three in the recent win at La Salle, and tied her early career-high with four goals, also hit in the first win of the season at Youngstown State earning her A-10 Rookie of the Week. Evans leads the A-10 in free-position percentage (63.2%) going 12-for-19, for an average of 0.80 FP goals per game. She also is third on the team with 25 ground balls, one of six to reach the 20 mark.
 
Jillian Caroselli, a senior hailing from West Islip, N.Y., has netted a career-best 16 goals this season with scores in six straight games. Two of her three hat tricks have come in conference play, including one in the win over La Salle. On her career, she has a 90% shot on goal percentage over 78 attempts.
 
Chloe Holmes, a freshman from Rockford, Mich., snapped a five-game scoreless streak with a season-best four goals at La Salle. Holmes started the season on fire scoring in each of the first eight contests and now has 17 goals on the season along with a pair of assists. She leads the team with a .935 shot on goal percentage, putting 29 of her 31 attempts on target, and a .548 overall shot percentage. Holmes has recorded a shot on goal in 12 of the 15 games this season.
 
Mady Piersielak, a redshirt junior from Fairport, N.Y. native eclipsed 200 career saves, with 116 this. She owns a .399 save percentage over 15 games, 13 starts, and six complete games this year. She also has a career-best 34 ground balls this season, currently ranking in the top-10 in the Atlantic 10. Piersielak has made double-digit saves six times and tied her season-high with 14 last time out against GW.
 
Freshman Megan LaBorne made her first start in goal for the Dukes against UC Davis on March 29 and has seen action in each of the last five games. LaBorne owns a .354 save percentage with 34 saves in 138 shots faced. A season-high 11 saves came in 52 minutes of action at George Mason on March 25. LaBorne played the entire second half for the Dukes at LaSalle and helped them stay in front for all 30 minutes, she recorded five saves facing nine shots against the Explorers.
 
Sophomore Hanna Pawela, from Glen Allen, Va., is sixth in the NCAA and atop the A-10 forcing 2.53 turnovers per game. Pawela also paces the Dukes in the ground ball department with 42 averaging 2.80 per game, the third-most in the A-10. She has scooped multiple in 11 of the 15 games this season and has had at least one in all but one outing.  Pawela is recorded four CT's and four GB's last time out against GW.
 
Casey McBride, a freshman from Manahawkin, N.J., is sixth in the conference in caused turnovers per game averaging 1.54, while junior Emily O'Donnell, from Moorestown, N.J., forces 1.29 per game ranking 12^th in the league.
 
THE WINS
Duquesne earned its first conference win of the season at La Salle on April 15, behind a season-high 21 goals, snapping a nine-game losing streak. Mackenzie Leszczynski led a balanced attack with five goals, on five shots, with a career-high four assists and nine points. Chelsea Evans fired in four goals with an early career-high three assists and paced the shooting efforts with 11 and seven on goal. Chloe Holmes also charted four scores and Jillian Caroselli posted her third hat trick of the season with three scores. Lydia Toparli netted her first two career goals, Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw broke free from stingy defense in the fourth quarter draining a pair of goals, then Emelie Curtis rounded out the scoring with a one-timer in the second period.
 
After a slow offensive start, both sides broke loose in the second quarter and never looked back. The Dukes took a 9-3 lead midway through the second quarter, but the Explorers rallied back to make it 9-8 at the break. DU was able to stay ahead the entire second half and a 6-1 fourth quarter put the game away.
 
Duquesne's lone other win came at Youngstown State on February 24, 16-13. Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw scored four times and had an assist, while Chelsea Evans netted four as well, and Mackenzie Leszczynski fired in three goals to lead the Dukes offense.
 
THE SPIDERS
Roster | Schedule | Stats

Richmond comes into the regular season finale winners of its last three games and eight of its last nine. The streak started after an A-10 opening loss to UMass, 22-12, which turns out to be the lone conference defeat of the season so far. The Spiders bounced back from the UMass loss with a 16-15, double-overtime win at home against No. 10 Virginia, sparking the 8-1 stretch. The only loss came out of conference to No. 4 James Madison (20-10) on the road.
 
The Spiders have allowed double-digits just twice in A-10 play, 22 to UMass and 12 to St. Bonaventure. Three of the last six A-10 wins have come by double digits and all six have been by six or more.

Six players have 21 or more goals, senior Lindsey Frank and sophomore Colleen Quinn are second and third in the league with 47 and 45 scores, respectively. Frank averages a team-leading 6.50 shots per game (3^rd in A-10) with 4.44 on target (4^th in A-10). Quinn is second in the nation and leads the conference in shot percentage, at 64.3%. Senior Arden Tierney has 37 goals and 36 assists for 73 points, both the assist and point totals are good for first in the A-10. Tierney also is atop the conference and sixth in the NCAA in draw controls per game, at 8.69.
 
Richmond is 5-1 at home, the lone loss a 20-9 defeat against Navy back on March 5. The Spiders have won four consecutive matches at Robins Stadium since.
 
THE SERIES
The Spiders hold a 17-7 all-time lead over the Dukes since 2002. Richmond has been victorious in each of the last six meetings, the last win for Duquesne came in overtime, 7-6, on April 10, 2016 at Rooney Field. In the last 10 meetings, the Dukes are 3-7 against the Spiders. In Richmond, Duquesne trails 3-9 in 12 matchups. 
 
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