GAME 4
Niagara (0-4) vs. Duquesne (3-0)
Thursday, Sept. 5 | 7:00 p.m.
Rooney Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.
 
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From The Pitch
 
- The Duquesne University men's soccer team looks for its second 4-0 start in three years Thursday when it hosts Niagara for a 7:00 p.m. match at Rooney Field.
 
- Despite just two shots, the Dukes improved to 3-0 with their first road win of the year, a 1-0 triumph over Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio, at Corcoran Field.
 
- Scoreless for over 80 minutes against the Musketeers, Duquesne got the game-winning goal from redshirt sophomore Jaxon Ervin, who took a cross from senior forward Maxi Hopfer and slipped it past Jonny Mennell at 81:36.
 
- Senior goalkeeper Zoltan Nagy finished with a season-high six saves to notch the clean sheet in the win at Xavier, with his performance allowing him to collect Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week honors. It marked the first weekly accolade for Nagy during his two seasons on the Bluff.
 
- The Dukes have won five consecutive matches at home dating back to last season after a 2-0 start at Rooney Field in 2024, including 3-1 victories over both Seton Hill and Canisius, respectively. In the win over the Golden Griffins, Duquesne got goals from freshman Roni Badler and Ali Nasser in the second half to lift Duquesne to victory.
 
- A total of eight Dukes have registered a point through the first three games of the 2024 season, with redshirt sophomore Jaxon Ervin owning a team-high six courtesy of two goals and two assists. Ervin leads the Atlantic 10 in points per game (2.00).
 
- The Dukes are led by head coach Chase Brooks, who is in his 12th season leading the program in 2024. Brooks has posted a record of 80-83-25 (.492) on the sidelines at Duquesne. Thanks to the win over Seton Hill, 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 takes to the road for three consecutive matches after hosting the Purple Eagles, beginning with an 8:00 p.m. match against Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., Tuesday, Nov. 10.
 
Scouting the Purple Eagles – Member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) … Located in Niagara University, N.Y. … Niagara wraps up a four-match road trip with its game against the Dukes, which has included losses at Syracuse, UMBC and Navy … The Purple Eagles fell in their 2024 season opener at home to Albany, 3-2 … Senior forward Felix Kogler scored both of the goals for Niagara in the season opener against the Great Danes … The Purple Eagles are led by Bill Boyle, who is in his ninth season as head coach in 2024 … Thursday's match wraps up a home-and-home series with Niagara, as Duquesne earned a 2-1 road victory last season … The Dukes leads the all-time series against the Purple Eagles, 7-2-1 (.750), including a 4-1-1 (.750) mark at Rooney Field.
 
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.
 
Defense Wins Championships – Duquesne enters Thursday's game against Niagara ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring margin (1.66), trailing only Dayton (1.75). The Dukes have yielded just two goals in three games, which is tied for second in the A-10 with Massachusetts and Saint Louis. Rhode Island hasn't allowed a goal in three contests so far, opening the year with a 2-0 win over St. John's before posting 1-0 victories over both Quinnipiac and at Stonehill.
 
One – Thanks to a 1-0 victory at Xavier in its first road match of the 2024 season, Duquesne improved to 23-8 (.742) in one-goal matches since the beginning of the 2021 season. Included in that stretch is a 13-3 (.813) record in such games at Rooney Field.
 
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