GAME 9
Duquesne (4-2-2 | 1-1-0 Atlantic 10) at George Mason (1-4-3 | 0-1-1 Atlantic 10)
Saturday, Oct. 3 | 7:00 p.m.
George Mason Stadium | Fairfax, Va.
 
Live Stats | Watch | 2026 Roster | 2026 Schedule | 2026 Statistics
 
From The Pitch
 
- The Duquesne University men's soccer team wraps up a three-game road trip Saturday in Fairfax, Va., with a 7:00 p.m. tilt against George Mason at George Mason Stadium.
 
- The Dukes enter Saturday's game with consecutive 1-0 losses during their road swing, including a setback at No. 21 West Virginia (9/22) as well as at Saint Louis (9/26). The last time Duquesne lost three consecutive matches by the score of 1-0 came during the 2017 campaign.
 
- Despite falling behind with just over five minutes to play against the Mountaineers, the Dukes had opportunities in their search for the equalizer. Duquesne earned a corner kick at 89:30, with sophomore Alex Posada getting off a shot that was turned away by a WVU defender. The Dukes also got two more shots off in the closing seconds that were blocked.
 
- Duquesne opened its Atlantic 10 schedule with a 1-0 victory over Rhode Island (9/19) at Rooney Field. Duquesne garnered the only score of the contest early in the second half when Tyler Kato collected his first goal of the year at 48:18.
 
- Redshirt senior goalkeeper Sam Coss preserved the shutout in the win over the Rams by matching a career high with six saves, including one at point-blank range with under two minutes to play. Coss has yet to allow a goal in four games this season at Rooney Field.
 
- For his efforts in the win over the Rams, Sam Coss was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week (9/21). It marked his second such honor of the 2026 campaign.
 
- The win over URI gave head coach Chase Brooks his 100th career victory on the Bluff.
 
- Redshirt senior Jaxon Ervin is the active leading scorer at Duquesne with 26 points courtesy of eight goals and 10 assists. He has started 41 of his 51 career games on the Bluff over the last four seasons.
 
- The Dukes are led by head coach Chase Brooks, who is in his 14th season leading the program in 2026. Brooks has compiled an overall record of 100-95-31 (.511) at Duquesne and is the program's all-time leader in coaching victories. In his 16th year as a head coach overall, Brooks has posted a mark of 122-101-40 (.540).
 
- Duquesne established a new program record with 11 consecutive wins at Rooney Field over the course of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, while its eight victories at home in 2024 is a school record. The Dukes own a mark of 34-6-7 (.798) at Rooney Field since the beginning of the 2021 campaign.
 
- Upon completion of its game against the Patriots, Duquesne returns home to Rooney Field to host Dayton Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7:00 p.m.
 
Scouting the Patriots – Located in Fairfax, Va. … Enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 1-4-3 (.313), including 0-1-1 (.250) in Atlantic 10 action … In its last outing, George Mason battled to a 1-1 draw with No. 12 Ohio State at George Mason Stadium (9/25) … The Patriots grabbed the lead over the Buckeyes at 82:02 on a sliding goal from James Eliuda, his third score of the campaign, before OSU earned the equalizer at 86:27 … In addition to his three goals, Eliuda has posted two assists to own a team-high eight points … In his fifth season as head coach of the Patriots is Rich Costanzo (Maryland '08), who was named the 2024 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year … Costanzo is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., and a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School who was inducted into the Heinz History Hall of Fame in 2012 … Saturday marks the 10th meeting in the all-time series against the Patriots, with Duquesne leading, 5-2-2 (.667) … Despite a 1-0 loss to GMU last season at Rooney Field (11/1/25) in the regular-season finale, the Dukes are 4-0 against the Patriots in Fairfax, Va.
 
Defensively Speaking – Despite entering Saturday's finale of a three-game road trip at George Mason coming off back-to-back losses by the score of 1-0, Duquesne has been one of the stoutest defensive units in the country this season. The goals against average of 0.500 for the Dukes is tied for second in NCAA Division I with three other programs, including Xavier (6-0-2), which, like Duquesne, has allowed four goals in eight games, and Indiana (8-0-2) and UNC Asheville (8-1-1), as both have yielded five goals in 10 matches. The fulcrum for the Duquesne defensive has been redshirt senior goalkeeper Sam Coss, a two-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week who has played all 720 minutes for the Dukes and is tied for fifth in NCAA Division I in goals against average (0.50) while sitting 10th in save percentage (.857).
 
Level Up – Senior midfielder Tyler Kato has battled injury early during the 2026 campaign but came through for the Dukes in their Atlantic 10 opener, collecting his first goal of the season in a 1-0 victory over Rhode Island (9/19) at Rooney Field. He took a low cross from redshirt junior Chris Philibin and was able to find the back of the net for the first time this year as well as the second time since the beginning of last season. Despite the program's active leader in scoring, redshirt senior Jaxon Ervin, having yet to score a goal this season, Duquesne has had five different student-athletes convert this year. The Dukes have also had 13 different players register on the scoresheet through eight games. The aforementioned Ervin owns a pair of assists along with junior midfielder Miles Imparato, who earned the secondary assist on Kato's goal against the Rams.
 
All In The Family – Looking to add to the lineage as a scorer on the Bluff has been forward Cody Da, who picked up his second goal of the year in a 2-1 victory at Detroit Mercy (9/5). Da is the younger brother of former forward Jayden Da (2021-23), who in three seasons with the Dukes compiled 20 career points thanks to eight goals and four assists. The elder Da appeared in 46 career matches at Duquesne and was named to the 2023 Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team after a campaign in which he finished with seven goals and three assists for 17 points. Jayden Da was also the first student-athlete in program history to be selected in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft, presented by Adidas, when he was selected by the Columbus Crew with the 29th pick in 2023.
 
Tip of the Cap – Thanks to the performances for Duquesne in its first two games of the year, a pair of student-athletes garnered weekly honors from the Atlantic 10. Junior forward Marko Rasmussen was selected as A-10 Offensive Player of the Week, while redshirt senior goalkeeper Sam Coss was named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Week. Rasmussen scored a pair of goals in the win over Bowling Green (8/23) after entering this season with two goals in 26 career games on the Bluff. Coss, meanwhile, earned a pair of clean sheets in the first two games of the year, becoming the first Duquesne goalkeeper to turn the trick since 2022. Coss owns 23 saves through the first eight games of 2026.
 
One – Since the beginning of the 2021 campaign, the Dukes own a record of 35-15 (.700) in one-goal matches. Included in that stretch is a 20-5 (.800) record in such games at Rooney Field and a 15-10 (.600) mark on the road.
 
FOLLOW THE DUKES
For the latest news and information on Duquesne men's soccer, follow the Dukes on X and Instagram.