GAME 15
Loyola Chicago (7-3-4 | 2-2-2 Atlantic 10) vs. Duquesne (9-4-1 | 4-2-0 Atlantic 10)
Thursday, Oct. 16 | 7:00 p.m.
Rooney Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.

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From The Pitch

- The Duquesne University women's soccer team hosts Loyola Chicago at Rooney Field Thursday for a 7:00 p.m. match in its Breast Cancer Awareness Game.

- The Dukes are coming off a 2-1 setback at Saint Louis (10/12), as a pair of goals in the first half helped bolster the Billikens to the victory. SLU and Dayton are tied atop the Atlantic 10 Conference standings at 6-0, while the Dukes sit fourth behind Rhode Island (4-1-1).

- In the second half at Saint Louis, senior forward Brianna Moore scored her seventh goal of the season at 52:22, cutting the deficit for Duquesne in half. The Dukes owned a 12-7 edge in shots against the Billikens but were unable to come up with the equalizer.

- Duquesne owns a perfect 6-0 record at home this season and during that stretch has outscored its opponents, 18-1.

- In their last home contest, the Dukes concluded a two-game homestand with a 1-0 victory over George Mason (10/5). Junior forward Kaitlyn Killinger found the back of the net off her left foot at 16:19 for the only score of the contest.

- In collecting her fourth consecutive shutout at Rooney Field as well as her seventh overall thanks to the win over the Patriots, junior goalkeeper Ali Hughes was named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week (10/6).

- Senior forward Maya Matesa was one of 35 student-athletes, and only two from a mid-major, named to the 2025 Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List (10/7). Matesa ranks fourth in NCAA Division I in goals (12) and sixth in points (28).

- Elsewhere among NCAA Division I leaders, Matesa sits second in the country for shots (5.14) per game as well as fourth in shots on goal (2.29) per contest, while her points per game average of 2.00 ranks sixth.

- Thanks to an assist on the goal scored by senior forward Brianna Moore at Saint Louis (10/12), senior forward Maya Matesa established a new Duquesne single-season record for points with 28. The old mark of 27 was originally set by Audra Mathews (2004-07) as a freshman in 2004.

- Duquesne enters Thursday's contest ranked second in NCAA Division I in shots (22.36) and shots on goal (10.29) per game as well as eighth in corner kicks (7.29) per contest.

- The Dukes have registered at least 20 shots in a game nine times this season, including each of their six home games at Rooney Field. Among that total is a season-high 39 shots in a 2-2 draw at Eastern Kentucky (9/21) in Duquesne's non-conference finale, which tied a program single-game record.

- The Dukes are led by head coach Jessica Giegucz, who is in her first year at the helm of the program after spending the last 10 years as the head coach at NCAA Division II Slippery Rock out of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).

- Giegucz was named the sixth head coach in program history at Duquesne Dec. 20, 2024. In 10 seasons leading the Rock, Giegucz compiled an overall record of 104-48-24 (.659). She began her coaching career in Ashland, Wisc., at NCAA Division III Northland College, where she posted a mark of 11-9-1 (.548) in 2014 prior to being tabbed the head coach at Slippery Rock.

- Duquesne's win at Mercyhurst (8/24) marked the 200th game for Jessica Giegucz as a head coach in stints at Northland College, Slippery Rock and Duquesne. In 12 seasons as a head coach, Giegucz owns an overall record of 124-61-26 (.649).

- Duquesne heads back out on the road after taking on the Ramblers, visiting Saint Joseph's Sunday, Oct. 19, at 1:00 p.m. in the opener of a two-game swing.

Scouting the Ramblers – Located in Chicago, Illinois … Loyola Chicago has tallied an overall record of 7-3-4 (.643) in 2025, including a 2-2-2 (.500) mark in the Atlantic 10 … The Ramblers sit ninth in the A-10 standings with eight points … Loyola Chicago is coming off a scoreless draw at home with Richmond (10/12), which marked the eighth shutout of the season for redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Allison Deardorff … In their last road game, the Ramblers tied La Salle (10/5), 3-3 … Junior Zoe Hevey leads Loyola Chicago in scoring with 13 points thanks to team highs in both goals (4) and assists (5) and is one of 11 players to register on the scoresheet this season for Loyola Chicago … Each of the two previous meetings between the Dukes and Ramblers have ended in scoreless draws, including the last contest Sept. 17, 2023, at Rooney Field … Loyola Chicago is led by Jon Sandoval (Western Illinois '12), who is in his first season as head coach and was named to his post in December of 2024.

Over The Mountain – Senior forwards Maya Matesa and Brianna Moore became the top-scoring duo in program history in Duquesne's game at Saint Louis (10/12). The goal for Moore against the Billikens, on an assist from Matesa, helped the duo push their combined total in points over the last four years to 106. The only other tandem on the Bluff to combine for 100 career points is former Dukes Katie O'Connor (67) and Abby Losco (37), who tallied 104 points as teammates from 2015 to 2018.

Goal Oriented – In giving the Dukes a 2-0 lead in an eventual 3-0 victory over VCU (10/2), senior forward Brianna Moore picked up career strike No. 20. She became the fifth player in program history to reach the 20-goal plateau as well as the second this season, joining senior forward Maya Matesa. Matesa added her 24th career goal later against the Rams to settle the final score, leaving her one shy of tying the Duquesne career record that is held by Katie O'Connor (2015-18). Matesa and Moore, meanwhile, are the first pair of teammates in school history to each own 20 career goals. Moore's strike at Saint Louis (10/12) marked the 21st goal of her career, moving her into a tie for third place all-time at Duquesne with Audra Mathews (2004-07).

Duquesne Career Leaders - Goals

Name (Years)	No.
1. Katie O'Connor (2015-18)	25
2. Maya Matesa (2022-25)	24
3. Audra Mathews (2004-07)	21
Brianna Moore (2022-25)	21
5. Erica Carey (2002-05)	20

Head of the Class – The 11 student-athletes that make up the senior class for Duquesne in 2025 has put up some strong numbers since the beginning of the 2022 season, combining for 169 points thanks to 63 goals and 43 assists. Senior forward Maya Matesa is the program's active career leader for goals with 24, while senior forward Brianna Moore has tallied 21 career strikes. Senior midfielder Mackenzie Muir, meanwhile, is the program's active career leader in assists with 13. Combined, that trio has racked up 56 goals and 29 assists. A member of the senior class for Duquesne was involved in nine consecutive goals scored by the Dukes dating to last season before junior forward Kayla Leseck gave the Dukes a 5-0 lead at Mercyhurst (8/24) with her second career goal at 59:49.

Adding To The Tally – Senior midfield Reese Kershner collected her first career NCAA Division I goal in a 4-0 win over Youngstown State (9/11), scoring on a rebound in the first half that propelled the Dukes to the win. In addition to the score being the first career goal for Kershner, it was her first game-winning strike, and she became the ninth different member of the senior class to register on the scoresheet during their career on the Bluff.

Did You Know? A member of the senior class has scored 26 of the 31 goals for Duquesne this season, including 11 of the last 13 entering Thursday's game against Loyola Chicago.

Alone At The Top – The scoring exploits of senior forward Maya Matesa has her putting together arguably the finest offensive season in program history. In just the ninth match of the 2025 season, Matesa established a new single-season school record for goals, as her strike in a 3-0 win over Richmond (9/21) marked her 11th of the year. The goal snapped a three-way tie atop the list, as midfield Lauren Bracco (2000-03) originally scored 10 goals to establish the record in 2003, a number that was matched in 2015 by forward Katie O'Connor (2015-18). Matesa also established a new Duquesne single-game record with 11 shots in a 4-0 win over Youngstown State (9/11), and she enters Thursday's game with career totals of 24 goals, 10 assists and 58 points. Just the fourth player in school history to eclipse the 50-point plateau, Matesa ranks third all-time in the Duquesne career record book for points.

Did You Know? Duquesne is 14-1-1 (.906) over the last four seasons when senior forward Maya Matesa scores a goal. During that stretch, Matesa has scored multiple goals in a game seven times.

Back and Forth – Senior forward Mackenzie Muir notched each of her four goals last season on the home turf of Rooney Field. That's a stark contrast to her previous four career markers, which all came on the road during her rookie campaign in 2022. In the 2025 season opener, a 3-2 victory at Kent State (8/17), Muir tied the contest, 2-2, by converting on a penalty kick and in the process collected her first road goal since her freshman year. She added another road goal in a 2-2 draw at Eastern Kentucky (9/14) in Duquesne's non-conference finale and picked up her first home goal of the 2025 season with the eventual game winner in the first half of a 3-0 triumph over VCU (10/2). The Dukes are 9-1-1 (.863) over the last four seasons when Muir finds the back of the net.

Light Up Night – During the 2024 season, Duquesne reached the 90-point plateau for just the seventh time in program history as well as the first time since 2016, when the Dukes scored 97 points. Duquesne finished last year with 93 points, while the school record for points in a season is 104, which came in 2004. Through 14 contests of the 2025 season, the Dukes have amassed 80 points thanks to 31 goals and 18 assists.

Lineup Stalwart – Junior Jayden Sharpless has been a steady presence for the Dukes in the midfield over the last three seasons, as she is the only player in that stretch to have started all 51 games dating to the beginning of the 2023 campaign. Sharpless owns career totals of a goal and an assist on 52 shots, 20 of which have been on frame. Sharpless is also the only field player for the Dukes this season to have played 1,260 out of a possible 1,260 minutes and made her 50th consecutive start in a 1-0 win over George Mason (10/5). In 51 career games, Sharpless has logged a full 90 minutes in 50.9 percent (26-of-51) of those contests.

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