Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University women's soccer team wrapped up the home portion of its 2025 non-conference schedule Thursday, earning a 4-0 victory over Youngstown State. In improving to 5-2-0 (.667) overall during the 2025 campaign, the Dukes stretched their home winning streak against non-conference foes dating back to the 2023 season to nine.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Finding its rhythm midway through the first half, Duquesne broke through at 29:17. Junior
Paige Kuisis fired a shot that YSU goalkeeper Maya Naimoli was able to turn away, but on the rebound, senior midfield
Reese Kershner cashed it in for her first career NCAA Division I goal and a 1-0 lead for the Dukes. Duquesne owned a 17-3 edge in shots in the opening 45 minutes in entering halftime with the lead.
UNDER PRESSURE
The Dukes continued their pressure in the second half, and it was a familiar name that helped Duquesne extend its lead. Freshman
Brynn Ramsey went one-on-one in the corner with a defender before placing a cross into the box. Senior forward
Maya Matesa was in placement and provided a header that got behind Naimoli at 53:34 to push the lead for the Dukes to 2-0. Just over a minute later, Matesa was at it again. On the rush, senior forward
Brianna Moore dropped a pass to Matesa, who fired a shot into net to increase the lead to 3-0. Through seven games of the 2025 campaign, Matesa has posted a hat trick (at Mercyhurst) as well as a brace on three occasions, pushing her season total in goals to 10 and tying the program's single-season school record. Lauren Bracco (2000-03) originally established the standard in 2003, which was matched in 2015 by Katie O'Connor (2015-18).
QUOTABLE
"I'm really proud of them," head coach
Jessica Giegucz said. "It's something we work on a lot. I'm pretty heavy on the goals on frame, and being intentional with our shot. Certainly happy with tonight's output. I challenged the team to see how many contributors we can have during the season. It's been exciting to see the amount of success everyone is having. Reese, her first collegiate goal, that's amazing. She just puts herself in the right spots, and then Emma (Hospodka) just hit a rocket of a shot. It was so nice. The buildup play into those positions for most of our shots was really fun to watch."
SEALING THE DEAL
Duquesne capped the scoring at 67:02, with Moore lacing a pass to senior midfield
Emma Hospodka, who bent a shot into the far upper left corner of the net to help seal the victory. In addition to holding a commanding lead in possession, the Dukes cruised to a 30-6 advantage in shots, including 15-3 on frame. The performance against YSU (1-7-0) marked the second time this season Duquesne reached 30 shots, trailing only the season-high 34 in a 6-0 triumph at Mercyhurst (8/24). Through three home matches at Rooney Field this season, the Dukes own an 81-20 advantage in shots.
CONTINUING TO CLIMB
In addition to tying the Duquesne single-season record for goals (10), Matesa established a new single-match standard for shots with 11 Thursday against the Penguins. The previous mark of 10 was set in the program's first NCAA Division I game over 30 years ago, a 9-1 victory over Robert Morris (9/2/95), by Heather Border (1995-97) and tied by Audra Mathews (2004-07) in a 6-0 win over Saint Francis (9/17/04). Matesa pushed her career total in goals to 22 and points to 51 thanks to her performance against YSU. She becomes just the fourth player in program history to reach the 50-point plateau, as she is tied for third with Linnea Faccenda (2014-17). The 22 career markers also places her second and trailing only O'Connor, who in addition to her 10 as a rookie added 15 more over the next three seasons.
QUOTABLE
"Another superlative, or a word to describe (Maya), is humble," Giegucz said. "I think that's what is making her have so much success right now. It's not about her, it's about everybody. She's the leader of what's happening for the entire team. She can separate herself so well from defenders, and she's a very strong back to goal forward. Of course, on the dribble, driving at people, she's even stronger. She's obviously gaining confidence in every game, and it's fun to see."
NOTES
The last non-conference home loss for the Dukes came August 24, 2023, a 2-1 setback to Youngstown State … During its nine-game surge in non-conference tilts at Rooney Field, the Dukes have outscored their opponents, 33-5 … Junior
Jayden Sharpless continues to be the glue in the midfield, logging another full 90 for the seventh consecutive game to open the 2025 season … Sharpless has also started each of her 44 games on the Bluff dating back to the beginning of the 2023 campaign … Also playing a full 90 against the Penguins was junior defender
Reagan Basehore, who returned to the starting lineup Thursday … The offensive performance helped junior goalkeeper
Ali Hughes improve to 5-2-0 on the season as she notched her third shutout of the year ... Hughes finished with three saves.
UP NEXT
Duquesne travels to Lexington, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 14, for a 1:00 p.m. match with Eastern Kentucky at Lexington Sporting Club.
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