GAME 14
Duquesne (5-5-3 | 2-1-2 Atlantic 10) at George Mason (6-4-3 | 2-2-1 Atlantic 10)
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026 | 1:00 p.m.
George Mason Stadium | Fairfax, Va.
 
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From The Pitch

- The Duquesne University women's soccer team travels to Fairfax, Va., Sunday to open a two-game road trip, taking on George Mason at 1:00 p.m. at George Mason Stadium.

- The Dukes dropped their first Atlantic 10 contest of the year in their last outing, falling, 3-1, to Dayton (10/8), at Rooney Field. Duquesne grabbed the early lead thanks to the first goal of the 2026 season from senior Kayla Leseck at 12:43, but the Flyers earned the equalizer less than six minutes later and scored twice in the second half to seal the victory.

- Prior to falling to Dayton, the Dukes finished with a scoreless draw against George Washington (10/4). The Revolutionaries owned a 17-9 edge in shots, including 9-3 on frame.

- Duquesne concluded a swing through Richmond, Va., by posting a 2-1 victory at VCU (9/27). Freshman Molly Kinsella provided the game-winning goal on a penalty kick at 84:04, snapping a 1-1 tie. Duquesne is 3-for-4 this season in penalty kick attempts, with the shot from the spot for Kinsella the first of her NCAA Division I career.

- Senior Paige Kuisis collected her first goal of the 2026 season against the Rams, giving the Dukes a 1-0 lead at 28:26. VCU would find the equalizer in the second half before Duquesne earned the penalty shot to garner the victory.

- The Dukes opened their two-game road trip with a 1-1 draw at Richmond (9/24). The Spiders grabbed the lead early in the second half, 1-0, after a scoreless 45 minutes, but Duquesne tied it at 81:12. Senior Paige Kuisis redirected the ball in the box and hit the near post, with the ball bouncing back out. Freshman Claire Beasley was in position, converting to tie the contest.

- The Dukes opened the Atlantic 10 portion of their schedule with a 2-1 victory over Rhode Island (9/19) at Rooney Field. Duquesne fell behind early, but goals from senior Anna Bundy (34:14) in the first half and senior Jayden Sharpless (59:37) in the second half helped the Dukes earn the win.

- Bundy and Sharpless serve as co-captains of the 2026 Dukes, and the performance in the win over the Rams marks the first time the pair have scored a goal in the same game.

- The Dukes are led by second-year head coach Jessica Giegucz, who guided Duquesne to an overall mark of 12-5-2 (.654) last year, including a mark of 7-3 (.700) in the Atlantic 10. Duquesne, which tied a program record for victories, hosted its first Atlantic 10 Championship game since 2017.

- Giegucz was named the sixth head coach in program history at Duquesne Dec. 20, 2024. In 10 seasons as head coach at Slippery 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 (8/24/25) marked the 200th game for Jessica Giegucz as a head coach in stints at Northland College, Slippery Rock and Duquesne. In 13 seasons as a head coach, Giegucz owns an overall record of 132-67-30 (.642).

- The Dukes finished their two-game road swing after taking on the Patriots by traveling to Chicago, Ill., Sunday, Oct. 18, to take on Loyola Chicago at 2:00 p.m. at Loyola Soccer Park.

Scouting the Patriots – George Mason has compiled an overall record of 6-4-3 (.577) entering Sunday's game against the Dukes, including a 2-2-1 (.500) ledger in the Atlantic 10 … The Patriots are coming off a 2-0 loss at George Washington (10/8) but are 6-0-1 (.929) at home this season … Midfielder Mia Casciani leads George Mason in scoring this season with 15 points thanks to seven goals and an assist … Forwards Kylie Beauregard, Keira Jeffries and Mia Arevalo-Delcid have each scored four goals for the Patriots, with Beauregard also owning three assists for 11 points and Jeffries owning a helper for nine points … In his third season as head coach at George Mason is Aaron Brunner (New Hampshire '00), who won a national championship as an assistant coach at Florida State in 2023 … Sunday marks the 10th meeting in the all-time series between Duquesne and George Mason, with the Dukes leading, 6-2-1 (.722) … In last year's meeting at Rooney Field (10/5/25), forward Kaitlyn Killinger scored with her left foot at 16:19 for the only score of the game in a 1-0 triumph for Duquesne.  

Tally-Ho – Thirteen games into the 2026 season, a total of 11 different players have scored a goal for the Dukes this season. Of those 11 student-athletes to find the back of the net, six have scored their first career NCAA Division I goal. Freshman forward Molly Kinsella was the latest to get in on the act, as her header accounted for Duquesne's only score in the non-conference finale against Ohio (9/13) at Rooney Field. Of the six players to notch their first career NCAA Division I goal this season, three are true freshman (Kinsella, Allison Bechtel and Claire Beasley). Meanwhile, senior Kayla Leseck became the 11th different player to score a goal this year as she opened the scoring in a 3-1 setback to Dayton (10/8) with a strike in the first half.

Less is More – Senior Kayla Leseck continues to be in the middle of rallies for Duquesne. In addition to collecting her first goal of the year against Dayton (10/8), Leseck provided an assist on the goal in the first half by senior Anna Bundy against URI (9/19) that tied the score, 1-1, heading into halftime. It marked Leseck's third assist of the campaign as well as the 13th of her career, helping her continue to climb in the career record book in the category. Leseck is tied for fifth all-time on the Bluff with former teammate Mackenzie Muir (2022-25). Overall in 69 career games, Leseck owns 19 points thanks to three goals and 13 assists.

Hardware – Senior goalkeeper Ali Hughes was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week (8/31) thanks to a pair of clean sheets in the first two home games of the 2026 season at Rooney Field. In wins over Akron (8/27) and Kent State (8/30), Hughes finished with 16 saves, including a career-high nine in the win over the Golden Flashes. It marks the second career weekly honor for Hughes from the Atlantic 10, who enters Sunday's game at George Mason with four shutouts this season and 11 over the last two years.

Lineup Stalwart – Senior Jayden Sharpless has been a steady presence for the Dukes in the midfield throughout her career, as she is the only player for Duquesne to have started all 69 games dating to the beginning of the 2023 campaign. Sharpless owns career totals of three goals and two assists on 68 shots, 26 of which have been on frame. Sharpless was also the only field player for the Dukes last year to have played 1,730 out of a possible 1,730 minutes, and she has logged a full 90 in each of the first 13 games of 2026 for Duquesne. Sharpless has logged a full game in 63.8 percent (44-of-69) of her career contests, which includes a career-high 110 minutes against Fordham in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship.

Captain O Captain – Serving as team captains for Duquesne in 2026 are seniors Jayden Sharpless and Anna Bundy. Bundy started all 19 games for the Dukes last season and has appeared in 67 contests throughout her career on the Bluff, registering five goals and 12 points. She was named to the 2023 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.

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