Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's soccer team concluded a three-game road trip Saturday in come-from-behind fashion, earning a 2-1 victory over George Mason in Fairfax, Va., at George Mason Stadium. The Dukes improved to 5-2-2 (.667) overall during the 2026 season, including 2-1-0 (.667) in the Atlantic 10.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Tied, 1-1, and the clock winding down, Jaime Godinho of the Patriots was issued a red card after a Video Assisted Referee (VAR) at 82:11 due to a tackle. It forced George Mason, which was already down a man, to play the final eight minutes with nine players. The Dukes were able to capitalize, continually putting pressure on the defense of the Patriots before breaking through. Redshirt senior
Roni Badler, who earned just his second start of the 2026 season Saturday, placed a perfect cross into the box on the far side. Junior
Ofek Sasson raced to the ball and provided a sliding kick that got past Mason goalkeeper Angel Hernandez at 87:27 to give Duquesne the lead. It marked the first career goal for Sasson.
I SEE RED
A physical game, especially in the second half, the contest featured seven yellow cards, including two from James Eliuda of George Mason, the second of which came at 73:09, automatically turned red and forced the Patriots to be a man down. Eliuda, ironically, had drawn a foul on Duquesne goalkeeper
Sam Coss that set up the first score of the contest. Awarded a penalty shot at 71:38 after a VAR, Javier Montava was able to score with some spin. The shot from the spot was saved by Coss, but he was unable to hold onto the ball, which popped up and had just enough English to bounce over the goal line and into the net to give George Mason a 1-0 advantage. The Dukes, meanwhile, were able to grab the equalizer just over five minutes later. On the attack after Eliuda was forced to the bench, redshirt sophomore
Jameson Michel broke free in the box and provided a cross that split a pair of defenders. On the receiving end was redshirt senior
Ashwin Menon, who buried the opportunity to tie the game at 76:46.
NOTES
Each of the last five games for Duquesne has been decided by one goal, with the Dukes 3-2 (.600) in those efforts … Duquesne improved to 5-0 all-time at George Mason Stadium … Ironically, the last game in Fairfax, Va., also
finished with the score of 2-1, with former forward Maxi Hopfer (2020-24) breaking a 1-1 tie against the 13th ranked team in the country by scoring with 17 seconds remaining … Both Mason and Duquesne finished with 12 shots, with the Dukes owning a 6-4 edge in shots on frame … The Patriots outshot the Dukes, 7-2, in the opening 45 minutes, with Duquesne turning the table in the second half, 10-5 … The game featured 24 fouls … Coss finished with three saves for Duquesne, while Hernandez notched four for the Patriots … The first save of the game for Hernandez came on a penalty kick, as he turned away the opportunity from redshirt senior
Jaxon Ervin … Five players logged a full 90 minutes, including Ervin.
UP NEXT
The Dukes return to Rooney Field Saturday, Oct. 10, to host Dayton at 7:00 p.m.
Photo credit: George Mason Athletics
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