GAME 9
Richmond (3-2-3 | 0-0-0 A-10) vs. Duquesne (5-2-0 | 0-0-0 A-10)
Sunday, Sept. 21 | 1:00 p.m.
Rooney Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.

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From The Pitch

- The Duquesne University women's soccer team opens Atlantic 10 action Sunday with a home match at 1:00 p.m. against Richmond at Rooney Field for Youth Day. The Dukes own a record of 12-14-2 (.464) all-time in conference openers entering Sunday's match with the Spiders.

- Wrapping up its non-conference schedule, Duquesne played to a 2-2 draw at Eastern Kentucky (9/14). The Dukes got goals from seniors Brianna Moore and Mackenzie Muir in the first half, but the Colonels scored twice after the break to tie the game.

- Duquesne enters Atlantic 10 play ranked second in NCAA Division I in shots per game (23.75) as well as third in shots on goal (10.63) per contest. The Dukes tied a program standard for shots in their last game at Eastern Kentucky (9/14), unleashing 39, including 20 on frame.

- Elsewhere in the national rankings, the Dukes sit seventh in corner kicks per game (8.13) and 12th in scoring offense (2.75).

- Senior forward Maya Matesa is the only student-athlete in the NCAA Division I ranks to have reached double figures in goals, as she enters Sunday's game against the Spiders with 10. In addition to leading the country in total goals, Matesa also paces NCAA Division I in points (21), goals per game (1.25) and points per contest (2.63) while ranking fourth in shots per game (5.13) and second in shots on goal (2.75) per contest.

- In their last home game at Rooney Field, Duquesne posted a 4-0 victory over Youngstown State (9/11). Senior midfielder Reese Kershner collected her first career NCAA Division I goal to open the scoring at 29:17, the only marker of the first half.

- In the second half against the Penguins, senior forward Maya Matesa found the back of the net twice to notch her third brace of the 2025 season, while senior forward Emma Hospodka capped the victory with her first goal of the campaign at 67:02.

- Thanks to five goals in victories over Saint Francis (8/21) and at Mercyhurst (8/24), Matesa was named the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week (8/25) for the second consecutive week to open the 2025 campaign. She is just the third member of the Dukes in school history to earn A-10 weekly honors twice in a season, including the second to earn Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week in consecutive weeks.

- 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 120-59-26 (.649).

- The Dukes return 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 Duquesne from last year.

- The Dukes open a two-game road swing after taking on Richmond, visiting George Washington (9/25) and Dayton (9/28) for a pair of Atlantic 10 contests.

Scouting the Spiders – Located in Richmond, Va. … The Spiders enter Sunday's match with an overall record of 3-2-3 (.562) after a 1-1 draw at Longwood (9/11) … Sunday marks the first game for Richmond in 10 days … The Spiders are led by freshman forward Emma Newman, who has tallied 12 points thanks to five goals and a pair of assists … Newman finished with nine points in Richmond's season opener against VMI (8/14), a 5-0 victory, with four goals and an assist … In his third season as head coach of the Spiders is Adam Denton (Wingate '01), who owns a record of 10-23-10 (.349) guiding the program … Denton spent six seasons as the head coach at Davidson prior to his appointment at Richmond in December of 2022 … Duquesne leads the all-time series with the Spiders, 11-8-1 (.575) … The Dukes had won five consecutive game in the series until the Spiders earned a 1-0 victory in the 2024 Atlantic 10 opener for both programs Sept. 19, 2024.

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 150 points thanks to 56 goals and 38 assists. Senior forward Maya Matesa is the program's active career leader for goals with 22, while senior forward Brianna Moore has tallied 17 career markers. Senior midfielder Mackenzie Muir, meanwhile, is the program's active career leader in assists with 13. Combined, that trio has racked up 49 goals and 26 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 it being the first career marker for Kershner, it was her first game-winning goal, and she becomes 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 19 of the 22 goals for Duquesne this season, including each of the last six entering its Atlantic 10 opener Sunday against Richmond at Rooney Field.

Record Pace – The early offensive output for senior forward Maya Matesa has put her in select company in the Duquesne record book. Just eight matches into the 2025 season, Matesa has tied the program single-season record for goals, as her pair in a 4-0 win over Youngstown State (9/11) gives her 10 on the season. Midfield Lauren Bracco (2000-03) originally scored 10 goals to establish the record in 2003, which was matched in 2015 by forward Katie O'Connor (2015-18). Matesa also established a new Duquesne single-game record with 11 shots in the win over the Penguins, and she enters Sunday's game against Richmond with career totals of 22 goals, seven assists and 51 points. The performance against YSU for Matesa helped her become just the fourth player in school history to eclipse the 50-point plateau, as she is tied with former forward Linnea Faccenda (2014-17) for third.

Did You Know? Duquesne is 12-1-1 (.893) 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 marker in a 2-2 draw at Eastern Kentucky (9/14) in Duquesne's non-conference finale, and the Dukes are 8-1-1 (.850) 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 the first eight contests of the 2025 season, the Dukes have amassed 55 points thanks to 22 goals and 11 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 45 games dating to the beginning of the 2023 campaign. Sharpless owns career totals of a goal and an assist on 50 shots, 20 of which have been on frame. Sharpless is also the only field player for the Dukes this season to have played 720 out of a possible 720 minutes.

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