PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne University women's soccer team is set to host American University on Sunday for its home opener at Rooney Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 pm.
THE BASICS
August 20, 2023 | 1:00 pm | Rooney Field (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
American Eagles (0-0-1, 0-0 Patriot)
Duquesne Dukes (0-1, 0-0 A-10)
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BY THE NUMBERS
LAST TIME OUT
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Duquesne will look to bounce back from a tough season-opening loss at Ohio, 3-0, on Thursday. The Dukes were outshot 20-5 and 8-2 on goal in the opener. Margey Brown and freshman Jayden Sharpless, who started her first game in the Red and Blue, recorded the lone shots on goal for DU in the second half.
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25 players saw action for Dukes in the opener, including collegiate debuts for Anna Bundy, Kayla Leseck, Paige Kuisis, and Sharpless - who also started.
BACK ON THE BLUFF
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Duquesne returns all but one of their nine goal scorers from last year's squad that reached the first Atlantic 10 postseason tournament since 2019. The 2022 Dukes finished with a 6-7-3 overall and 4-3-3 conference record, bowing out of the A-10 Tournament in the first round (0-2 loss at Davidson).
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Duquesne had 20 different players start at least one match last season and returns 15 of them.
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Mackenzie Muir and Margey Brown were both named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team a year ago and are back for their sophomore campaigns.
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Maddy Neundorfer returns for her junior season in net for DU. Neundorfer ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in saves (96) and saves per game (6.0) in 2022, starting all 16 games. The Monroeville, Pa. played all 90 minutes between the posts in the season opener on Thursday and made five saves.
NEWCOMERS RIGHT IN THE MIX
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Coach Alvine brought in a talented recruiting class of 11 new players to bolster the long list of returners.
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Anna Campanella, a graduate transfer that spent time at Kent State and the past three seasons at Boise State, earned a season-opening start at Ohio, alongside freshman Jaydn Sharpless, a transfer from Georgia State, were the lone newcomers to crack the starting XI.
SISTER, SISTER
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The Dukes roster includes three sets of sisters this season. Kayla and her twin sister Skylar Leseck are freshman from Moon Township, Pa., Anna (freshman) and Emma Bundy (junior) from Wexford, Pa., and Anna (graduate student) and Ally Campanella (junior) from Hudson, Ohio.
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Twins Kayla and Skylar Leseck are one of 16 twins playing Division I soccer this season.
WINNINGEST COACH IN PROGRAM HISTORY
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Duquesne is led by 12th year head coach Al Alvine.
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Alvine is the winningest coach in program history with a 76-91-25 overall record on the Bluff and 39-51-13 mark in Atlantic 10 play.
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Alvine doubled the Dukes win total from 2011 in his first season. He has led DU to five A-10 Tournament appearances. In 2015, he coached the Dukes to their first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship and NCAA Tourament appearance
PRESEASON POLL
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Duquesne was picked to finish seventh in the 15-team Atlantic 10 Conference, its highest preseason rank since 2018.
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Defending regular season and tournament champion, St. Louis is expected to repeat grabbing 14 of the 15 first-place votes.
THE EAGLES
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American opened the 2023 season with a scoreless draw against Maryland at home on Thursday. The Eagles outshot the Terrapins, 10-3, but had an even 3-3 shot on goal tally.
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AU, of the Patriot League, went 3-6-6 last season with a 2-5-2 mark in league play and a 2-4-4 record away from home.
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The Eagles tied A-10 member George Washington, 0-0, last season at home.
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American returns 21 student-athletes from last year's squad, including senior Izzy Kadzban who led the team with four goals last season. The Eagles welcome nine new faces to the roster including seven freshmen and two transfers.
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The Eagles were picked eighth in the 10-team Patriot League Preseason Poll.
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AU will continue its PA roadtrip on Friday with a 3 pm matchup at Penn.
THE SERIES
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The Eagles won the lone matchup in series history with a 3-1 victory at the D.C. Classic in 2006, remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto forced the site of the tournament to move to Fairfax, Virginia.
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This is the first time in program history, Duquesne will host American.
HOME OPENER
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Duquesne is 15-8-5 in home openers over its 28-years as an NCAA Division I soccer program.
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Under Coach Alvine (since 2012), the Dukes are 5-3-3 in home openers. They have won two in a row (3-1 over St. Francis in 2021 and 2-1 over Ohio in 2022, both were season-openers also). The last home-opening loss was not since 2017. Duquesne has won or tied the last five home openers. Four home openers under Coach Alvine have gone to overtime - the three ties and a 1-0 win to open the 2013 season over Saint Francis.
UP NEXT
FOLLOW THE DUKES
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