GAME 17
2024 Atlantic 10 Championship
No. 5 Fordham (7-4-5) vs. No. 4 Duquesne (11-3-2)
Saturday, Nov. 9 | 7:00 p.m.
Rooney Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.
 
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From The Pitch
 
- The Duquesne University men's soccer team hosts No. 5 seed Fordham Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. match in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship at Rooney Field. The Dukes enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed.
 
- The Dukes concluded their 2024 regular season with a 1-1 tie against the Rams at Rooney Field. Despite having an 11-game winning streak dating to last season at home snapped, Duquesne owns an 8-0-1 (.944) mark at Rooney Field this year and a 12-match unbeaten streak.
 
- Trailing, 1-0, entering the second half in the regular-season finale against Fordham, senior Christoffer Vie Angell scored at 79:03 to tie the contest, with Maxi Hopfer and Jack Rhead registering assists. The point proved to be crucial for the Dukes, who secured a home game in the first round of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship.
 
- George Mason claimed the 2024 Atlantic 10 regular-season championship and as the No. 1 seed hosts No. 8 La Salle in Fairfax, Va., at 7:00 p.m. Friday. Dayton (9-2-3), the No. 2 seed, while welcome No. 7 seed Davidson at the same time. Massachusetts secured the No. 3 seed and hosts No. 6 seed Saint Louis Saturday at 1:00 p.m. before the Dukes and Rams play the final game of the quarterfinals Saturday night.
 
- Duquesne established a new program standard with its 11th consecutive win at Rooney Field as well as its eighth victory at home this season, also a new school record, thanks to a 1-0 triumph over Northern Kentucky (Oct. 22). A throw-in from redshirt sophomore Ashwin Menon from the far sideline allowed senior Jesper Moksnes to provide a perfect header into the middle of the box that found the foot of senior forward Maxi Hopfer, who laced it past Romeo Paparesta of NKU at 15:53 for the only score of the tilt.
 
- Senior goalkeeper Zoltan Nagy is a three-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week honoree and enters Saturday's match leading the conference in save percentage (.825) and saves (66) while sitting second in goals against average (0.90) and saves per game (4.13).
 
- A 2-1 win over Mount St. Mary's (Sept. 24) 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 88-86-27 (.505). Overall in 14 seasons, Brooks is 110-98-36 (.525) as a head coach.
 
- A total of 12 Dukes have registered a point through the end of the 2024 regular season, as the assist for redshirt sophomore Blaize Hardy in a 2-1 win at No. 13 George Mason (Oct. 12) marked his first point on the Bluff.
 
Scouting the Rams – Located in the Bronx, N.Y. … Concluded the 2024 regular season in fifth place in the Atlantic 10 standings … Prior to its 1-1 draw with Duquesne, Fordham earned a 5-1 win over Loyola Chicago (Oct. 26), as Andrew Insalaco scored a pair of goals and also added an assist … Junior midfielder Daniel D'Ippolito sits second in the A-10 in scoring with 27 points courtesy of 10 goals and seven assists … D'Ippolito ranks second in the conference in goals behind Alex Hughes (12) of Massachusetts while leading the Atlantic 10 in shots on goal (29) and ranking second in shots (59) … Davidson's Denis Krioutchenkov leads the Atlantic 10 in shots with 60 … In his fifth season as head coach at Fordham is Carlo Acquista, who guided the Rams to the 2020 NCAA Championship … Saturday marks the 24th meeting in the all-time series between Fordham and Duquesne, with the Rams owning an 11-8-4 (.565) edge … Each of the last three meetings between the Rams and Dukes have ended in a draw.

Atlantic 10 Championship Nuggets – Duquesne is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship and 14th in program history … The Dukes own a mark of 5-11-3 (.342) in the A-10 Tournament, including runner-up finishes in 1999, 2002 and 2021 … Duquesne and Fordham have met once in the Atlantic 10 Championship, with the Rams earning a 4-0 win over the Dukes in 2016 in Davidson, N.C. … Duquesne is making its first appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship as a No. 4 seed … The Dukes are 1-1 (.500) in the A-10 Tournament in games at Rooney Field, both of which came in 2022 with Duquesne as the No. 2 seed … The Dukes earned a 2-1 win over No. 7 seed La Salle in the first round of the 2022 Atlantic 10 Championship before falling to No. 4 seed Loyola Chicago, 1-0, in the semifinals … Former forward Zach Mowka (2020-23) earned a spot on the 2022 Atlantic 10 Championship All-Tournament Team after scoring both goals in the victory over the Explorers.

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 point in eight of Duquesne's last 10 games entering the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship and owns career totals of 25 goals, 15 assists and 65 points. Hopfer ranks fourth all-time for the Dukes in points (65) and is just three points shy of moving into sole possession of second place. Former forwards Simon Gomez (2010-13) and Joshua Patterson (2009-12) rank second and third, respectively, in points with 67 and 66.
 
The Magic Touch – While senior forward Maxi Hopfer owns 65 career points, it's his flair for the dramatic that has him atop the career record book at Duquesne. Hopfer is tied for the NCAA Division I lead this season in game-winning goals with five, joining Marius Stenner (Delaware), Donovan Sessoms (Sacramento State), Bryan Akongo (Rider), Emil Jasskelainen (Akron), Elie Kisoka (Kansas City), Alexis Ledoux (UC Santa Barbara) and Jesus Barea (Missouri State). The five game-winning markers give Hopfer 12 for his career on the Bluff, a new program standard. The old record of 10 was held by former Dukes David Gingrich (1999-2002) and Damien Pottinger (2000-03).
 
The Iron Man – Senior Jesper Moksnes has been a steady presence for Duquesne on defense this season, as he is one of five Dukes that have started all 16 matches. In those 16 games, Moksnes has played 1,440 of a possible 1,440 minutes. He enters the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship having started each of the last 18 matches he's appeared in and owns 47 starts among his 48 career matches.
 
One – Despite a 1-0 setback at Massachusetts, the Dukes own a record of 30-9 (.769) in one-goal matches since the beginning of the 2021 campaign, including an 8-1 (.889) mark this season. Included in that stretch is a 18-3 (.857) record in such games at Rooney Field and a 12-6 (.667) mark on the road.
 
Defense Wins Championships – Duquesne enters the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship ranking second in save percentage in NCAA Division I. The Dukes have turned away 83.9 percent of their shots this season, which trails only SIUE, which tops the leaderboard with a save percentage of .854. In their three losses this season, the Dukes have allowed seven goals. In its other 13 matches, Duquesne has given up just seven markers. The Dukes also rank in the top 25 nationally in both goals against average (0.88) and saves per game (4.56), ranking 22nd and 25th, respectively, in the categories.
 
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