Moon Township, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's soccer team suffered its first loss of the 2024 season Tuesday, dropping a 3-0 decision to Robert Morris at the North Athletic Complex and falling to 4-1-1 (.750) overall.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
For the second consecutive match the game was scoreless at the half, and the Colonials broke through with three goals in the span of five-and-a-half minutes. Tim Koczulap broke the scoreless draw at 67:32 with a shot that found the upper left corner of the net, giving RMU (2-2-2) a 1-0 edge. The Colonials continued to apply pressure after the opening score, with Koczulap feeding Logan Gilley for a marker at 72:30 and Kosi Udeh also sneaking one in 29 seconds later to break open the contest.
QUOTABLE
"We weren't at the level today, and that was pretty apparent from start to finish," head coach
Chase Brooks said. "It's a tough place to come play. They brought a lot of energy. I give full credit to Robert Morris for making us adjust our game plan. They deserved the win today. In this sport, you have to show up and you have to keep your consistency and play the same every time you step on the field. We just didn't match their intensity, and we took our medicine for it. Now it's about learning from it and moving forward as we hit conference play."
NOTES
The Dukes held a 6-5 edge in shots in the first half but were outshot in the contest, 16-8 … The lone shot on goal after halftime for Duquesne was courtesy of junior midfielder
Grant McIntosh … Playing a full 90 minutes for the Dukes was the backline of
Christoffer Vie Angell,
Jesper Moksnes and
Blaize Hardy … The Dukes had multiple opportunities in the first half, including three shots in the span of four minutes, that were turned away by RMU goalkeeper Josh Lane … Redshirt sophomore
Jaxon Ervin had two shots, both of which were on goal in the first half … Redshirt junior midfielder
Pepo Bravo made his 2024 debut for the Dukes, logging 14 minutes … Senior goalkeeper
Zoltan Nagy finished with four saves.
QUOTABLE
"It's energy," Brooks said. "It's making sure that we're matching what they're throwing at us and that we're able to defend second balls. We struggled in that area today. We were able to challenge on every ball that came in the box, it's just, when the ball is dropping we have to put our foot on it. We were second best today. It's a good, humbling moment for us. We're still in a good spot. We've got to get back to attacking the way we know how to attack and play with confidence as we move forward."
UP NEXT
Duquesne wraps up its three-game road trip by opening Atlantic 10 play Saturday, Sept. 21, with a 1:00 p.m. match at George Washington.
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