Pittsburgh, Pa. – Senior forward
Maxi Hopfer scored with 17 seconds left to lift the Duquesne University men's soccer team to its second victory ever over a ranked opponent in program history Saturday, 2-1 over No. 13 George Mason, in Fairfax, Va., at George Mason Stadium. The historic win improved the Dukes to 9-2-1 (.792) overall during the 2024 season, including 4-1 (.800) in the Atlantic 10.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Trailing, 1-0, entering the second half, Duquesne got the equalizer at 76:03. Hopfer was in the middle of the action on the tying goal, feeding redshirt sophomore
Jaxon Ervin, who got one past goalkeeper Jaume Salvado of the Patriots to tie the game, 1-1. Senior goalkeeper
Zoltan Nagy would then go to work, registering three saves in just under two minutes to keep the game even. Hopfer would award the stout defense, as redshirt sophomore defender
Blaize Hardy would clear and dribble the length of the field as time was winding down. On a stutter step, Hardy found Hopfer in the box, who played the ball off his chest and slipped one past Salvado with 17 seconds remaining to propel the Dukes.
HISTORY
Duquesne, which earned a
1-1 tie at No. 23 Notre Dame earlier this season, picked up its second win in program history against a ranked opponent thanks to its triumph Saturday against George Mason (10-2-0 | 4-1-0 Atlantic 10). The Dukes entered the 2024 campaign 0-7 all-time against ranked foes on the road, and it marked the program's first victory over a team ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 since a
3-1 win over No. 23 Rhode Island Oct. 20, 2018, at Rooney Field. Duquesne had been 0-5 all-time against teams ranked in the top 15, and the win Saturday also snapped George Mason's five-game winning streak. All-time against teams ranked in the top 25, the Dukes own a mark of 2-9-2. More importantly, the win Saturday puts Duquesne in a tie atop the Atlantic 10 standings with the Patriots, as each team owns identical 4-1 (.800) conference records.
HISTORY PART DEUX
Possessing a flair for the dramatic, Hopfer continues to etch his name among the top players in program history on the Bluff. The game-winning goal with 17 seconds to go marked the 11th of Hopfer's career, establishing a new Duquesne career record. He has now scored in five of the last six games, owning five goals and an assist over that span, and his performance against the Patriots Saturday catapulted his career point total to 61, which ranks fourth in school history. Entering the game tied for fifth in scoring with Travis MacKenzie (2004-07), Hopfer leapfrogged David Gingrich (1999-2002), who concluded his career with 59 points.
NOTES
Duquesne improved to a perfect 6-0 this season in games decided by one goal and has won nine straight during the regular season dating back to last year when turning the trick … George Mason owned a 15-12 edge in shots, including 6-3 on goal, and also held a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks … The assist for Hardy on the game-winning goal marked his first point as a member of the Dukes … Hardy is also the 12th different student-athlete for Duquesne to register a point this season … Nagy finished with five saves for Duquesne … The goal for Ervin marked his third of the 2024 campaign as he ranks second for the Dukes in scoring with 10 points … Six players logged a full 90 minutes, including the backline of Hardy and seniors
Christoffer Vie Angell and
Jesper Moksnes … George Mason grabbed the early lead at 7:28 on the seventh goal of the 2024 season from Marek Gonda, who entered the match Saturday as one of four student-athletes, a group that included Hopfer, tied for the Atlantic 10 lead in game-winning goals.
UP NEXT
Duquesne closes out the 2024 regular season with three of its final four matches at home. The Dukes welcome Davidson to Rooney Field Saturday, Oct. 19, to begin the stretch drive at 7:00 p.m.
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