GAME 13
Davidson (4-4-4 | 3-2-0 Atlantic 10) vs. #24 Duquesne (9-2-1 | 4-1-0 Atlantic 10)
Saturday, Oct. 19 | 7:00 p.m.
Rooney Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.
 
Live Stats | 2024 Roster | 2024 Statistics | Record Book | 2024 Atlantic 10 Standings
 
From The Pitch
 
- The Duquesne University men's soccer team closes out its 2024 regular season with three of its final four games at home, beginning Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. match against Davidson.
 
- The Dukes are in search of their third consecutive win after a 2-1 victory at #13 George Mason (Oct. 12) in their last outing. Senior forward Maxi Hopfer took a feed from redshirt sophomore Blaize Hardy and scored with 17 seconds remaining to give Duquesne just its second win over a ranked opponent in program history as well as its first on the road.
 
- Thanks to its win over the Patriots, Duquesne earned its first national ranking of the 2024 season. The Dukes are ranked 24th according to the United Soccer Coaches heading into their game Saturday against Davidson.
 
- Senior forward Maxi Hopfer established a new program record for game-winning goals in the win at George Mason, as the marker against the Patriots was the 11th of his career. Hopfer has scored a goal in five of his last six games.
 
- In its last game at Rooney Field, Duquesne earned a 3-0 win over Rhode Island (Oct. 9). Scoreless after 45 minutes, the Dukes got on the board thanks to a penalty kick, with junior forward Dakota Jonke scoring from the spot to break the scoreless draw.
 
- Also registering goals in the win over the Rams were freshman Bendix Bennetzen and senior Maxi Hopfer. The pair scored two minutes and 37 seconds apart to break open the game. For Bennetzen, it marked his first career NCAA goal.
 
- Senior forward Maxi Hopfer leads the Atlantic 10 in game-winning goals (4) and is tied for fifth in the conference in points (15) with Joseph Melto Quiah of Dayton. Hopfer is one of 10 student-athletes in NCAA Division I that are tied for second in the country in game-winning goals, with Marius Stenner of Delaware leading the nation with five.
 
- A 2-1 win over Mount St. Mary's helped head coach Chase Brooks garner his 83rd career victory on the Bluff, allowing him to pass former head coach Wade Jean (1998-2005) for the most wins in program history. In 12 years at Duquesne, Brooks has recorded a mark of 86-85-26 (.503). Overall in 14 seasons, Brooks is 108-97-35 (.523) as a head coach.
 
- A total of 12 Dukes have registered a point through the first 12 games of the 2024 season, as the assist for redshirt sophomore Blaize Hardy in the win at George Mason marked his first point on the Bluff.
 
- Senior forward Maxi Hopfer was named to the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Preseason Team at forward in a vote of league head coaches. In his last full season in 2022, Hopfer was named to the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team after finishing with 14 points thanks to five goals and four assists. In 2021, Hopfer found the back of the net 11 times and also distributed six assists in finishing with 28 points to earn a spot on the All-Atlantic 10 First Team.
 
- Duquesne closes out its non-conference slate after hosting Davidson, welcoming Northern Kentucky to Rooney Field Tuesday, Oct. 22, for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.
 
Scouting the Wildcats – Located in Davidson, N.C. … Has won two in a row entering Saturday's game at Rooney Field thanks to home wins over VCU (Oct. 9), 2-1, and Massachusetts (Oct. 12), 4-2 … Overall during the 2024 season Davidson owns a 4-4-4 (.500) record, including a 3-2-0 (.600) mark in the Atlantic 10 … The Wildcats sit fourth in the A-10 standings with nine points … Junior forward Denis Krioutchenkov leads the Wildcats in scoring with 11 points thanks to four goals and three assists ... Sophomore Nico Quanbeck, meanwhile, is tied for the team lead in goals with four ... In his sixth season as head coach at Davidson is Mike Babst, who arrived to lead the Wildcats after a six-year stint at the University of Chicago … Duquesne owns a record of 6-2-1 (.722) all-time against Davidson, with each of the wins for the Wildcats coming last season, including a 2-1 victory in the Atlantic 10 Championship.

Maximum Overdrive – Maxi Hopfer has been one of the most consistent scorers for the Dukes during his career on the Bluff, and after a 2023 season where he dealt with injuries, the senior forward is looking to go out on a high note. Hopfer has scored a goal in five of Duquesne's last six games and owns career totals of 24 goals, 13 assists and 61 points. In addition to establishing a new program career record for game-winning goals (11) at George Mason, Hopfer moved into fourth place all-time for the Dukes in points (61) thanks to three in the win over the Patriots. Arguably the most impressive statistic for Hopfer is that he's taken 12 shots on goal this season, owning a shot on goal percentage of 63.2 percent, and has scored on half his shots that have come on target.
 
One – Thanks to a 2-1 victory at George Mason, the Dukes improved to 28-8 (.778) in one-goal matches since the beginning of the 2021 season, including a perfect 6-0 mark this year. Included in that stretch is a 16-3 (.842) record in such games at Rooney Field and a 12-5 (.706) mark on the road.
 
Protect This House – A key reason Duquesne owns an overall record of 38-20-10 (.632) since the beginning of the 2021 campaign has been protecting its turf at Rooney Field. The Dukes enter Saturday's game against Davidson having won nine consecutive matches at home dating back to last season, one shy of the school record of 10 that was set over the final four games of the 2004 season and the first five contests of 2005. Over the last four years at Rooney Field, Duquesne has amassed a record of 24-3-4 (.838) on the Bluff.
 
Clean Sheet – Senior Zoltan Nagy has come up huge for Duquesne at multiple points throughout the 2024 season, and he registered three saves in a 3-0 win over Rhode Island in picking up his fourth shutout of the year. Nagy enters Saturday's match against Davidson leading the Atlantic 10 in saves (46) after registering five in a 2-1 victory at George Mason. Nagy also ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in goals against average (1.04) while being tied fourth in the A-10 in clean sheets with Jaume Salvado of George Mason.

Spot On – Junior Dakota Jonke picked up his first career game-winning goal in a 3-0 win over Rhode Island, as his penalty kick snapped a scoreless tie in the second half. Both of the goals for Jonke this season have come via penalty kick, and the goal was part of a four-point night for the Cleveland, Ohio, native. Jonke registered a pair of assists in the win over the Rams, becoming the first member of the Dukes this season to score at least four points in a game.
 
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