GAME 17
Saint Louis (10-2-4 | 6-0-2 Atlantic 10) vs. Duquesne (5-7-4 | 2-3-3 Atlantic 10)
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026 | 1:00 p.m.
Rooney Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.
 
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From The Pitch

- The Duquesne University women's soccer team closes out the home portion of its 2026 regular season Sunday at 1:00 p.m. against Saint Louis at Rooney Field.

- The Dukes opened their homestand with a 2-2 draw against Davidson (10/22), snapping a three-game losing streak. The Wildcats grabbed a 2-1 lead early in the second half before senior Paige Kuisis found the equalizer, scoring her second goal of the year, at 67:38.

- Also scoring for Duquesne against Davidson was senior Anna Bundy, who connected at 37:28 after a feed from Kaitlyn Killinger to tie the contest, 1-1, in the first half.

- 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 132-69-31 (.636).

- The Dukes take to the road for their final contest of the 2026 regular season Saturday, Oct. 31, at Noon in Philadelphia, Pa., against La Salle.

Scouting the Billikens – SLU has logged an overall record of 10-2-4 (.750) entering Sunday's tilt, including a 6-0-2 (.875) mark in the Atlantic 10 … The Billikens are in first place in the conference standings with 20 points, four ahead of both Rhode Island and George Mason … Junior forward Audrey Smith leads Saint Louis with 18 points courtesy of eight goals and a pair of assists, while junior forward Hope Kim has scored five goals, posted five assists and owns 15 points … In her 14th year as head coach of the Billikens is Katie Shields (Harvard '06), who entered this season ranked sixth among all NCAA Division I women's coaches with a .716 winning percentage … Sunday is the 19th meeting in the all-time series between the Dukes and Billikens, with SLU leading 14-4 (.778) … Saint Louis has won five consecutive games in the all-time series with Duquesne, including a 2-1 triumph last year in St. Louis, Mo., at Hermann Stadium.

Tally-Ho – Sixteen 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 72 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 against Saint Louis 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 72 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 16 games of 2026 for Duquesne. Sharpless has logged a full game in 65.2 percent (47-of-72) 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 82 games for the Jayhawks. Sharpless is set for her 73rd consecutive start Sunday against the Billikens and is one of five players across NCAA Division I to have played all 1,440 possible minutes in 16 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 70 contests throughout her career on the Bluff, registering six goals and 15 points. She was named to the 2023 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.

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