GAME 15
Duquesne (5-6-3 | 2-2-2 Atlantic 10) at Loyola Chicago (5-2-7 | 2-0-4 Atlantic 10)
Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026 | 2:00 p.m. ET
Loyola Soccer Park | Chicago, Ill.
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From The Pitch
- The Duquesne University women's soccer team concludes a two-game road swing Sunday, traveling to Chicago, Ill., for a 2:00 p.m. ET tilt against Loyola Chicago at Loyola Soccer Park.
- The Dukes opened their two-game road trip with
a 1-0 loss at George Mason (10/11). Played in the remnants of Hurricane Isaias, the Patriots earned the only goal of the contest at 25:50 as Mia Casciani was able to find the back of the net. Duquesne, however, owned a 17-5 edge in shots.
- The Dukes dropped their first Atlantic 10 contest,
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.
- 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 132-68-30 (.639).
- The Dukes return home to Rooney Field Thursday, Oct. 22, to host Davidson at 7:00 p.m. after their gae in the Windy City.
Scouting the Ramblers – Loyola Chicago carries an 11-game unbeaten streak into Sunday's match with Duquesne, posting a record of 4-0-7 (.682) during that stretch … The last setback for the Ramblers came August 19, 2026, a 1-0 loss at No. 5 Michigan State … In its last outing, Loyola Chicago posted a 1-1 draw with Saint Louis (10/11) at Loyola Soccer Park … Maggie Schmidt scored her third goal of the season at 53:54 against the Billikens to tie the match after Lucie Schwartz gave SLU the lead with her third strike of the year at 48:49 … Schmidt owns a team-high seven points for LUC with three goals and an assist … In his second season as head coach of the Ramblers is Jon Sandoval (Western Illinois '12), who owns a record of 14-6-13 (.621) at the helm … Loyola Chicago sits third in the Atlantic 10 in team goals against average (0.71), one spot ahead of Duquesne (1.00) … Sunday marks the fourth meeting all-time between the Dukes and Ramblers, with Loyola Chicago on top, 1-0-2 (.667) … In the meeting between the two programs last season, the Ramblers earned
a 2-1 victory over the Dukes at Rooney Field (10/16/25).
Tally-Ho – Fourteen 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.
Moving Up – 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 70 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 Loyola Chicago 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 70 games dating to the beginning of the 2023 campaign. Sharpless owns career totals of three goals and two assists on 70 shots, 26 of which have been on frame. Sharpless was also the only field player for the Dukes last year to have played 1,820 out of a possible 1,820 minutes, and she has logged a full 90 in each of the first 14 games of 2026 for Duquesne. Sharpless has logged a full game in 64.3 percent (45-of-70) of her career contests, which includes a career-high 110 minutes against Fordham in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship.
Did You Know? The only NCAA Division I student-athlete with a longer streak of consecutive starts than senior
Jayden Sharpless is Caroline Castans of Kansas, who has been a member of the starting 11 each of the last 80 games for the Jayhawks. Sharpless is set for her 71st consecutive start Sunday at Loyola Chicago. Sharpless is also one of five players across NCAA Division I to have played all 1,260 possible minutes in 14 games in 2026.
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 68 contests throughout her career on the Bluff, registering five goals and 13 points. She was named to the 2023 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.
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