GAME 6
Duquesne (4-0-1) @ Robert Morris (1-2-2)
Tuesday, Sept. 17 | 4:00 p.m.
North Athletic Complex | Moon Township, Pa.
 
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From The Pitch
 
- The Duquesne University men's soccer team continues a three-match road trip Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. against Robert Morris in Moon Township, Pa., at the North Athletic Complex.
 
- The Dukes are unbeaten through five matches for the second time in three years and third time in the last six seasons after securing a 1-1 draw at No. 23 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish led, 1-0, before a late penalty kick was awarded to junior forward Dakota Jonke, who scored from the spot to garner the tie.
 
- Senior goalkeeper Zoltan Nagy matched a season high in saves with seven at Notre Dame. A two-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week, Nagy has faced 36 shots over the last two matches, including 15 on goal.
 
- In their last home match, the Dukes earned a 1-0 victory over Niagara. It marked the sixth consecutive victory at Rooney Field dating back to the 2023 campaign.
 
- Junior Ashton Jell scored the lone marker in the triumph over the Purple Eagles less than three minutes into the contest, taking a feed from redshirt sophomore Jaxon Ervin and ripping it past goalkeeper Jamie Berry at 2:49. It marked the second goal of the year for Jell.
 
- In its first road game of the 2024 season, Duquesne snapped a scoreless match at Xavier when redshirt sophomore Jaxon Ervin, who took a cross from senior forward Maxi Hopfer, found the back of the net at 81:36 for a 1-0 win at Xavier.
 
- A total of nine Dukes have registered a point through the first five games of the 2024 season, with redshirt sophomore Jaxon Ervin owning a team-high seven courtesy of two goals and three assists. Ervin is tied for third in the Atlantic 10 in scoring with Joseph Melto Quiah of Dayton.
 
- Duquesne is led by head coach Chase Brooks, who is in his 12th season leading the program in 2024. Brooks has posted a record of 81-83-26 (.495) on the sidelines at Duquesne. Thanks to the win over Seton Hill in the 2024 season opener, Brooks picked up his 100th career victory as a head coach.
 
- 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 road swing by opening Atlantic 10 action Saturday, Sept. 21, with a 1:00 p.m. match at George Washington after taking on RMU.
 
Scouting the Colonials – Member of the Horizon League … Located in Moon Township, Pa. … Tuesday's match against Duquesne closes a four-game homestand for Robert Morris at the North Athletic Complex, a stretch in which the Colonials are 1-1-1 (.500) … RMU is led by Jonathan Potter, who owns a record of 6-8-7 (.452) in two seasons as head coach … In an all-time series that dates to 1995, Duquesne owns a 19-6-3 (.732) advantage over Robert Morris and has won five consecutive matches against the Colonials … The Dukes are 6-5-3 (.536) in matches played in Moon Township, Pa. … Seven different Colonials have scored in 2024, led by three points from Anass Hadran, who owns three assists.
 
Defensively Speaking – A key reason for the unbeaten start through five matches of 2024 for Duquesne has been its defensive prowess. The Dukes have allowed just three goals this season, which is tied for second in the Atlantic 10 with Saint Louis. Only Rhode Island has yielded fewer goals in 2024 with two allowed in six matches. In 12 seasons under head coach Chase Brooks, it marks the third time Duquesne has allowed three goals or less in its first five matches. In 2019 the Dukes also opened the year 4-0-1 and allowed just three goals, while in a 5-0 start to its 2022 campaign Duquesne outscored its opponents, 13-1.
 
The End Game – Behind a solid defense is a solid goalkeeper, and senior Zoltan Nagy has been a rock for Duquesne in the early going. Having allowed just three goals, Nagy ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in both goals against average (0.67) and save percentage (.889) while sitting third in saves per game (4.80). Over the last two years on the Bluff, Nagy owns a record of 11-7-4 (.591) in net for Duquesne to go along with a 1.29 goals against average, 112 saves (4.87 per game) and four shutouts. He has started 23 consecutive games at goalkeeper for the Dukes since the beginning of the 2023 season.
 
Balance – Junior forward Dakota Jonke became the ninth different member of the Dukes to score in a 1-1 draw at Notre Dame, as his penalty kick helped tie the game at 85:35 and keep Duquesne unbeaten during the 2024 season. The Dukes enter Tuesday's game at Robert Morris ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring margin (+1.20), trailing only Dayton, which leads the conference at +1.80.
 
One – Thanks to a 1-0 victory over Niagara that helped Duquesne seal its sixth consecutive home victory, the Dukes improved to 24-8 (.750) in one-goal matches since the beginning of the 2021 season. Included in that stretch is a 14-3 (.824) record in such games at Rooney Field and a 10-5 (.667) mark on the road.
 
A Milestone – Senior forward Maxi Hopfer became the ninth Duquesne student-athlete in program history to reach 50 career points in a 1-0 win at Xavier, as his assist on the game-winning goal by redshirt sophomore Jaxon Ervin helped him reach the threshold. Hopfer is currently tied with Dave Kovalcik (1995-97, 1999) and Derek MacKenzie (2001-04) for seventh place all-time for the Dukes in scoring. Sitting sixth in the program record book is Steve Mellor, who scored 57 points from 2002 to 2005.
 
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