Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University women's soccer team returned home to Rooney Field Sunday, opening a two-game homestand with a scoreless draw against George Washington. The Dukes own an overall record of 5-4-3 (.542) during the 2026 season and remain unbeaten in Atlantic 10 action at 2-0-2 (.750).
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Each team had multiple opportunities to find the back of the net, but senior goalkeeper
Ali Hughes for the Dukes and Jasmine Black of the Revolutionaries were up to the task in yielding any score in the contest. George Washington owned a 17-9 cushion in shots, including a 9-3 advantage in shots on frame, with Hughes making six saves for Duquesne. None may have been bigger than in the first half at 22:54. Kate McGrath placed a perfect pass down the middle after a give-and-go from Kalia Kau that got past three defenders and gave Kau an opportunity one-on-one with Hughes. Kau lifted the shot, but Hughes was able to knock it down and protect the scoreless game. Kau also had a second opportunity after the save from Hughes, but the shot was wide right.
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"Defensively we're still very sound," head coach
Jessica Giegucz said. "Obviously, Ali had an incredible game. She's engaged and is very good with communication and has done a really good job of making critical saves in key points of the game. The back line handles the pressure really well. It's the first shutout we've had in conference, so credit to our defensive effort."
HELPFUL HINTS, HIDDEN GEMS
Duquense also had an opportunity in the first half, as sophomore
Brynn Ramsey showcased her abilities down the far sideline before lifting a ball into the box. Just prior to reaching senior
Kayla Leseck, Black was able to get a finger on the ball, which redirected the header from Leseck away from the net. Black also came up big in the second half for the Revolutionaries, leaping to push a shot from freshman
Ella Zech, who was making her NCAA Division I debut, above the net and keeping the game scoreless at 75:25. The Dukes would follow by earning one of seven corner kicks, but a shot from freshman
Molly Kinsella was wide right.
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"I thought we needed to be a little bit cleaner on the ball," Giegucz said. "I would love to see us be a little bit more of a threat in regard to our opportunities. We have a lot of opportunities for players to come off the bench and give us a spark. As we continue in the next set of games, we need to rely on the full team and have that team mentality."
NOTES
The last scoreless game for the Dukes came Oct. 7, 2023, at Saint Joseph's, while the last 0-0 draw at home came the same season three weeks prior against Loyola Chicago (9/17/23) … Hughes has finished with at least five saves in nine of the last 10 games after posting six against the Revs and owns 68 in 12 games, an average of 5.67 per contest … The clean sheet marked the fourth of the year for Hughes as well as the 11th of her career, each of which have come since the beginning of the 2025 campaign … Senior
Jayden Sharpless again logged a full 90 minutes and finished with a pair of shots, tied for team-high honors with fellow classmates
Kayla Leseck and
Paige Kuisis … Also logging a full 90 minutes was senior
Reagan Basehore … The NCAA Division I debut for Zech saw her play 16 minutes.
UP NEXT
Duquesne hosts Dayton Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7:00 p.m. to close out a two-game homestand at Rooney Field. It marks the Pink Out game on the Bluff.
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