GAME 18
Duquesne (5-8-4 | 2-4-3 Atlantic 10) at La Salle (8-5-3 | 5-2-2 Atlantic 10)
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 | Noon
McCarthy Stadium | Philadelphia, Pa.
 
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From The Pitch

- The Duquesne University women's soccer team travels to Philadelphia, Pa., Saturday for its final game of the 2026 regular season, taking on La Salle at McCarthy Stadium at Noon.

- The Dukes concluded the home portion of their 2026 slate with a 2-0 loss to Saint Louis (10/25) at Rooney Field. The Billikens scored in the first five minutes of each half to earn the victory.

- Senior goalkeeper Ali Hughes posted a career-high 13 saves against SLU in her final home game at Rooney Field, the highest total by a Duquesne goalkeeper since Vanessa Perdomo posted 14 in a 1-1 draw against Dayton in Davidson, N.C., in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Atlantic 10 Championship.

- The 13 saves for Hughes against the Billikens is tied for fourth in the single-game record book along with Devon Tabata, who notched 13 saves at Dayton Oct. 21, 2012.

- Prior to its setback against Saint Louis, the Dukes battled to 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 132-70-31 (.633).

Scouting the Explorers – La Salle has posted an overall record of 8-5-4 (.588) during the 2026 campaign, including a 5-2-2 (.667) mark in the Atlantic 10 … The Explorers are tied for third in the conference standings with Rhode Island with 17 points … La Salle owns the top offense in the A10, averaging 2.176 goals per game … Forward Justyce Hollenbach leads the conference in goals with 14, while midfielder Ella Cadigan paces the circuit in assists with 10 … Hollenbach also owns leads the Atlantic 10 in points (30) … The 2026 campaign marks the 24th year for Paul Royal (Milwaukee '96) as head coach of the Explorers … Royal has guided La Salle to the NCAA Championship five times and has been named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year four times … Saturday marks the 22nd meeting in the all-time series between Duquesne and La Salle, with the Dukes owning a 16-12-3 (.565) advantage … Last season Duquesne posted a 4-2 triumph over the Explorers at Rooney Field (10/26/25) as the Dukes jumped out to 3-0 lead on goals from Brianna Moore, Mackenzie Muir and Maya Matesa in the first half … Matesa would add her second goal of the game for the brace in the second half.  

Tally-Ho – Seventeen 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 73 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 Saturday's game at La Salle 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 73 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 17 games of 2026 for Duquesne. Sharpless has logged a full game in 65.7 percent (48-of-73) 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 83 games for the Jayhawks. Sharpless is set for her 74th consecutive start Saturday at La Salle.

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 71 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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