GAME 9
Saint Joseph's (2-6-0 | 0-1-0 Atlantic 10) vs. Duquesne (6-1-1 | 1-0-0 Atlantic 10)
Saturday, Sept. 28 | 5:00 p.m.
Rooney Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.
 
Live Stats | 2024 Roster | 2024 Statistics | Record Book
 
From The Pitch
 
- The Duquesne University men's soccer team returns to Atlantic 10 action Saturday, welcoming Saint Joseph's to Rooney Field for a 5:00 p.m. match.
 
- The Dukes improved to 4-0 at home this season with a 2-1 victory over Mount St. Mary's at Rooney Field. The Mount tied the contest, 1-1, at 84:37, only to watch senior forward Maxi Hopfer score with 1:18 to play to help lift Duquesne to its seventh consecutive home win dating to last year.
 
- Forward Ali Nasser broke a scoreless contest against Mount St. Mary's at 65:31 with his second goal of the 2024 campaign, unleashing a strike that curled into the top left corner of the net from roughly 30 yards out. Forwards Bendix Bennetzen and Jack Rhead each garnered an assist on the marker.
 
- The 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 83-84-26 (.497). Overall in 14 seasons, Brooks is 105-96-35 (.519) as a head coach.
 
- For senior forward Maxi Hopfer, the heroics against the Mount marked his second consecutive game-winning goal as well as the ninth of career. Hopfer also helped the Dukes open their Atlantic 10 schedule with a 1-0 win at George Washington, as he scored just over five minutes into action. 
 
- Senior goalkeeper Zoltan Nagy, a two-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week, picked up his third shutout of the 2024 season in the win over the Revolutionaries, posting three saves in the victory. In two seasons on the Bluff, Nagy has registered five clean sheets.
 
- A total of 10 Dukes have registered a point through the first eight games of the 2024 season, with redshirt sophomore Jaxon Ervin and senior forward Maxi Hopfer each owning a team-high eight. Ervin has recorded two goals and a team-high four assists, while Hopfer has registered a team-high three goals and two helpers.
 
- 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 takes to the road after hosting the Hawks Saturday, traveling to Saint Louis Saturday, Oct. 5, for an 8:00 p.m. match.
 
Scouting the Hawks – Located in Philadelphia, Pa. … Saint Joseph's enters Saturday's match with an overall record of 2-6-1 (.278) and is coming off a 2-0 win over Temple at Sweeney Field, which concluded a three-match homestand … The Hawks dropped their Atlantic 10 opener to Davidson (Sept. 21), 2-0 … Forwards Blake Driehuis and Bart Kooistra lead SJU with four points apiece as each have scored a pair of goals … In his 15th season as head coach of Saint Joseph's is Don D'Ambra, who was named the fourth head coach in program history April 15, 2010 … D'Ambra is a 1994 SJU graduate … Duquesne owns a record of 16-7-2 (.680) in the all-time series against the Hawks and is on a three-match unbeaten streak (2-0-1), with a scoreless tie between the two foes coming in 2022 at Rooney Field.
 
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 produced game-winning goals in back-to-back games and enters Saturday's game against Saint Joseph's with career totals of 21 goals, 12 assists and 54 points. Thanks to his game-winning marker in a 2-1 triumph over the Mount, Hopfer owns nine over the last five seasons, which is just one off the program record. David Gingrich produced 10 game-winning goals during his career from 1999 to 2002, a mark that was tied by Damien Pottinger (2000-03) in 2003. Arguably the most impressive statistic for Hopfer is that he's taken just eight shots this season, six of which have been on goal, a shot on goal percentage of 75 percent, and has scored goals on half the shots that have come on target.
 
The End Game – Behind a solid defense is a solid goalkeeper, and senior Zoltan Nagy has been rock for Duquesne this season. Nagy ranks third in the Atlantic 10 lead in saves (31), saves per game (3.88), save percentage (.816) and shutouts (3) while also sitting fifth in the A-10 in goals against average (0.93). Nagy has anchored a defense for the Dukes that has allowed just seven goals this season, which is tied for third in the Atlantic 10 with George Mason. Only Rhode Island and Saint Louis, which have each allowed just five markers, sit ahead of Duquesne.
 
One – Thanks to a 2-1 victory over Mount St. Mary's, the Dukes improved to 26-8 (.765) in one-goal matches since the beginning of the 2021 season, including a perfect 4-0 mark this season. Included in that stretch is a 15-3 (.833) record in such games at Rooney Field and a 11-5 (.688) 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 currently ranks seventh all-time for the Dukes in scoring with 54 points, three points behind Steve Mellor, who scored 57 points from 2002 to 2005.
 
FOLLOW THE DUKES
For the latest news and information on Duquesne men's soccer, follow the Dukes on X and Instagram.

Tweet #GoDukes