Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's soccer team returned home to Rooney Field Saturday and sent the alumni home with a victory, earning a 3-2 triumph over George Washington on Alumni Weekend. The win snapped a four-game slide in Atlantic 10 contests and improved the Dukes to 7-4-2 (.615) overall during the 2025 season, including 2-4 (.333) in conference action.
 
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
A back-and-forth affair all evening and a contest emblematic for being wide open, Duquesne was able to grab its only lead of the contest at 79:33 in a goal that proved to be the game winner. A three-man touch led to sophomore Ofek Sasson lifting a cross to the far side. Sophomore forward Marko Rasmussen was in position, burying his first goal of the year to give the Dukes a 3-2 advantage.
 
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"One of the reasons we went with Marko late is because we knew he had that in his locker," head coach Chase Brooks said. "His pace and his attacking mindset, we were just hoping he could get an opportunity to get one. Obviously it worked out for us."
 
PACE YOURSELF
The Revolutionaries were able to strike first, picking up the first goal of the contest at 18:13. Charging down the near sideline was Alex Nicholson, who beat his defender and fired a cross into the box. Tommaso Lami had first crack at a shot but passed on it as the ball rolled to near the middle of the field, with Joel Russ pouncing and burying one past senior goalkeeper Diego Chavez to give George Washington (2-10-2 | 0-6-0 Atlantic 10) the early lead. Duquesne was able to answer with the equalizer just before halftime. A long pass from redshirt senior Pepo Bravo found redshirt junior Jaxon Ervin in front of the net, who was able to punch it past GW goalkeeper Tom Macauley at 42:34 to send the game tied into halftime, 1-1.
 
HERE, YOU TAKE IT
George Washington again went in front just over 10 minutes into the second half. From the far corner, Nicholson lifted a ball into the box. Russ tried for a header but was unable to make contact with the ball, which hit the ground and bounced into the far left corner of the net to give the Revs a 2-1 cushion. The Dukes didn't wilt, eventually coming up with their second equalizer at 66:49. Sophomore Miles Imparato tried to break free in the middle of the field before slipping the ball to senior Ashton Jell on the near sideline. Some footwork from Jell followed before he lifted a ball into the box that redshirt junior Ashwin Menon was able to bury on the far side to tie the game for a second time. The goal was similar to the eventual game-winning goal that saw Sasson lift a cross in almost the exact same spot as Jell.
 
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"Those were three points on the line that were a must have," Brooks said. "GW has played close games all year. We knew they were going to be a tough opponent despite their record. I give the guys a lot of credit for battling, not giving up and continuing to drive forward. That's what it takes. If you're going to win big games you're going to need big moments, and our guys showed up. We've played a lot of games, and the last few haven't really gone our way. This was a good way to bounce back."
 
NOTES
The goal for Rasmussen marked the second of his career and his first since the 2024 season opener when he scored the opening goal of an eventual 3-1 victory over Seton Hill (8/22/24) at Rooney Field … The Dukes held a 15-10 edge in shots, with 73.3 percent of the shots for Duquesne (11-of-15) on frame … Macauley finished with eight saves for the Revolutionaries, while Chavez posted a pair for the Dukes … The goal for Ervin was his team-high fifth of the campaign, and Duquesne improved to a perfect 8-0 when the local product finds the back of the net … The assist for Bravo marked his team-high fourth of the season … Logging a full 90 minutes for Duquesne in the victory over GW was Ervin, defenders Luke Fiscus and Alex Posada and forward Bendix Bennetzen … The triumph marked the 150th victory for the Dukes at Rooney Field in program history, as all-time Duquesne has posted a mark of 150-73-28 (.653) atop the Bluff.
 
UP NEXT
Duquesne heads back out of the road for a two-game swing, with the opener concluding the non-conference portion of the schedule. The Dukes visit Northern Kentucky Tuesday, Oct. 21, for a 6:00 p.m. start in Highland Heights, Ky.
 
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