GAME 14
VCU (2-8-3 | 2-3-1 Atlantic 10) vs. Duquesne (8-3-2 | 5-1-0 Atlantic 10)
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026 | 7:00 p.m.
Rooney Field | Olean, N.Y.
 
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From The Pitch
 
- The Duquesne University men's soccer team concludes the home portion of its 2026 regular season schedule Saturday at 7:00 p.m. against VCU at Rooney Field. Prior to the game, the Dukes will honor their latest senior class.
 
- In the Atlantic 10 standings entering play this weekend, Duquesne sits in a tie for first place with Rhode Island with 15 points. The Dukes dealt the Rams on of their two losses in conference play, 1-0, in the A10 opener for both programs at Rooney Field (9/19).
 
- The Dukes extended their winning streak in conference play to four in their last outing with a 4-0 victory at St. Bonaventure (10/21). Duquesne set the tone early, scoring just 20 seconds into the contest on a strike from redshirt sophomore Jameson Michel.
 
- The Bonnies added an own goal early in the second half to give the Dukes a 2-0 edge before junior Dan Banks and senior Cody Da each found the back of the net to settle the final score. For Banks, it marked his first career NCAA Division I strike, while Da collected his team-high sixth goal of the campaign.
 
- In their last home game, the Dukes posted a 3-0 triumph over Davidson (10/17) at Rooney Field. Duquesne scored each of its three goals in the opening 45 minutes en route to the win. In their last 27 games at home, the Dukes have amassed a record of 21-3-3 (.833).
 
- Senior forward Cody Da opened the scoring in the win over the Wildcats at 25:48, and just over three minutes later, junior forward Roni Badler collected his first strike of the 2026 season to give the Dukes a 2-0 edge at 28:56.
 
- Redshirt sophomore Jameson Michel would cap the scoring for Duquesne in its win over Davidson at 43:11, marking the first time the Dukes have scored three goals in the first 45 minutes since Oct. 12, 2022, a 5-1 win over St. Bonaventure at Rooney Field.
 
- Prior to its win over the Wildcats, Duquesne dropped a 2-1 decision at No. 7 Pitt (10/13). Redshirt senior Ashwin Menon gave the Dukes a 1-0 lead with his second goal of the year at 7:49, but the Panthers scored twice in the second half to earn the win.
 
- Redshirt senior Jaxon Ervin is the active leading scorer at Duquesne with 29 points courtesy of nine goals and 11 assists. He has started 46 of his 56 career games on the Bluff over the last four seasons.
 
- In addition to scoring his first goal of the 2026 season in a 3-1 win over Dayton (10/10), Ervin also registered an assist. Ervin is one of six Dukes to register a game-winning goal this season, and his strike against the Flyers marked the second game-winning goal of his career.
 
- 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 104-96-31 (.517) 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 126-102-40 (.545).
 
- 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 36-6-7 (.806) at Rooney Field since the beginning of the 2021 campaign.
 
- The final two games of the 2026 regular season for Duquesne will come on the road, beginning Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7:00 p.m. in University Park, Pa., against Penn State in a non-conference duel.
 
Scouting the Rams – VCU has recorded an overall record of 2-8-3 (.269) this season, including a ledger of 2-3-1 (.417) in the Atlantic 10 … The Rams are in a three-way tie for eighth in the conference standings with seven points with both St. Bonaventure and Loyola Chicago … VCU has faced five ranked foes this year … In their last outing, the Rams dropped a 4-1 decision at Saint Louis (10/17) … Freshman forward Kimarly Scott scored the lone goal for VCU against the Billikens and is tied for team-high accolades in scoring with seven points (three goals, one assist) … Junior midfield Mohammed Ibrahim also owns seven points for the Rams with two goals and three assists … The 2026 season marks the 17th season for Dave Giffard (MacMurray '97) as head coach at VCU and is a two-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year (2018, 2023) …  Saturday marks the first meeting between the two programs since 2021 and the eighth overall, with the Rams leading the all-time series, 4-2-1 (.643) … VCU visits Rooney Field Saturday for the first time since 2016, a 1-0 overtime victory for Duquesne (10/15/16).
 
Did You Know? In its last four games against Atlantic 10 opposition, Duquesne has scored 12 goals, marking the most in a four-game stretch against conference foes under Chase Brooks in 14 seasons as head coach as well as most since the Dukes scored 16 goals in a 4-0 homestand in A10 play in October of 2011. That homestand 15 years ago featured a 4-0 win over Massachusetts (10/21), a 5-1 triumph over Rhode Island (10/23), a 2-0 victory over Temple (10/28) and a 5-0 win over Saint Joseph's (10/30).
 
Defensively Speaking – Entering the final stretch of the 2026 regular season, the Duquesne defense continues to perform as one of the top units in the country. The Dukes own a team goals against average of 0.62, which leads the Atlantic 10 and is tied for fifth in NCAA Division I with Princeton of the Ivy League. Duquesne also ranks seventh in the country in save percentage at .833. The fulcrum for the Dukes has been redshirt senior goalkeeper Sam Coss, a two-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week who has played all 1,170 minutes for the Dukes and sits ninth in NCAA Division I in goals against average (0.62) and 15th in save percentage (.822). Coss is tied for seventh in goals against average along with Andrew Samuels of Princeton.
 
Level Up – Junior Dan Banks found the back of the net for the first time in his career in a 4-0 victory at St. Bonaventure (10/21), giving the Dukes a 3-0 advantage in the second half. He is the 10th different student-athlete for Duquesne this year to score a goal and is one of 16 different players to register on the scoresheet through 13 games. Banks is also one 12 players to have scored at least two points this year for the Dukes.
 
All In The Family – Looking to add to the lineage as a scorer on the Bluff has been forward Cody Da, who enters Saturday's home finale against VCU pacing Duquesne in scoring with 13 points thanks to six goals and an assist. Da scored the final goal to seal a 4-0 victory at St. Bonaventure (10/21) and 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 (8/24), while redshirt senior goalkeeper Sam Coss was named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Week (8/24). 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 37 saves through 13 games of 2026 and is a two-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week, having also earned the honor Sept. 21.
 
One – Since the beginning of the 2021 campaign, the Dukes own a record of 36-16 (.692) in one-goal matches. Included in that stretch is a 20-5 (.800) record in such games at Rooney Field and a 16-11 (.593) mark on the road.
 
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