GAME 2
Saint Francis (0-1-0) vs. Duquesne (1-0-0)
Thursday, August 21 | 1:00 p.m.
Rooney Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.

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From The Pitch

- The Duquesne University women's soccer team hosts Saint Francis at Rooney Field Thursday for a 1:00 p.m. match for the program's 2025 home opener. It is the first game of a soccer doubleheader on the Bluff, as the men's program will square off with Seton Hill in its 2025 season opener at 4:00 p.m.

- The Dukes opened their 31st NCAA Division I season and the Jessica Giegucz era with a 3-2 victory at Kent State (8/17) to open the 2025 season. Duquesne improved to 14-15-2 (.484) all-time in season openers with the win.

- Trailing, 2-0, at halftime, the Dukes scored three times in the second half for the victory, including two goals on a penalty kick separated by 46 seconds to grab the lead.

- Senior forward Maya Matesa got Duquesne on the board and trimmed the deficit in half, 2-1, with a goal off her left foot at 68:16. The Dukes then got a pair of penalty kicks, with senior forward Mackenzie Muir scoring at 71:01 and Matesa adding another at 71:47 to help Duquesne grab the lead.

- Matesa was named the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week (8/18) after her performance in the triumph over the Golden Flashes. It marked her first career A-10 weekly award.

- The Dukes are led 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. In 12 seasons as a head coach, Giegucz owns an overall record of 116-57-25 (.649).

- Duquesne returns five starters from a 2024 squad that finished with an overall record of 9-7-1 (.559), including a mark of 3-6-1 (.350) in the Atlantic 10. Included among that group of starters is four of the top six scorers for the Dukes from last year.

- The top returning scorer for Duquesne this season is senior forward Brianna Moore, who finished with 18 points last year thanks to eight goals and two assists. She finished ninth in the Atlantic 10 in points per game (1.06) as well as 10th in points.

- The Dukes should also be bolstered by the return of seniors Maya Matesa and Mackenzie Muir, who combined for 26 points a year ago. Matesa finished with three goals and five assists, while Muir led Duquesne in assists (7) and added four goals.

- Duquesne opens a two-game road trip after hosting the Red Flash Thursday, visiting Mercyhurst Sunday, August 24, for a 1:00 p.m. match before making a trip to Morgantown, W.Va., Tuesday, August 28, for a 7:00 p.m. tilt with West Virginia.

Scouting the Red Flash – Located in Loretto, Pa. … Member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) … SFU opened its 2025 season with a 5-0 loss at Maryland (8/17) … Senior goalkeeper Emma Sawich, a native of McMurray, Pa., finished with 10 saves in the season opener against the Terps … In his second season as head coach at Saint Francis is Brian Diaz, who guided the Red Flash to an overall mark of 6-9-3 (.417) last season, including 4-5-1 (.450) in the NEC … SFU posted a winning record on the road in 2024 at 5-4-1 (.550) … Thursday marks the 24th meeting in the all-time series with the Red Flash, with Duquesne holding a 15-7-1 (.674) advantage … Last season the Dukes earned a 2-0 victory in Loretto, Pa., at Stokes Soccerplex (9/12/24) with forward Brianna Moore scoring the first goal of the contest on the first shot by either team exactly 15 minutes into the contest for the eventual game winner … Duquesne has won eight consecutive over Saint Francis in the all-time series, including a 2-0 victory in the last contest at Rooney Field (9/3/23) … In that contest forward Maya Matesa and defender Lindsay Krafchick each scored for the Dukes.

Head of the Class – A total of 11 student-athletes make up the senior class for Duquesne in 2025, and the group has put up some strong numbers since the beginning of the 2022 season, combining for 115 points thanks to 41 goals and 33 assists. Senior forwards Maya Matesa and Brianna Moore are the program's active leader for goals with 14 each, while senior midfielder Mackenzie Muir is the program's active leader in assists with 12. Combined, that trio has racked up 37 goals and 22 assists. A member of the senior class for Duquesne has been involved in each of the last five goals scored by the Dukes dating to last season.

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. The Dukes also improved to 8-1 (.889) 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.

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 38 games dating to the beginning of the 2023 campaign. Sharpless finished fifth for Duquesne last year in minutes played (1,298) and owns career totals of a goal and an assist on 40 shots, 14 of which have been on goal.

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