GAME 18
2026 ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT
Semifinals
Fordham (7-7-2) vs. Duquesne (10-5-2)
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026 | 1:00 p.m.
Rooney Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.
 
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From The Pitch
 
- The Duquesne University men's soccer team makes its first appearance in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament since 2022 Tuesday by hosting No. 6 seed Fordham at Rooney Field at 1:00 p.m.
 
- The Dukes earned a spot in the semifinals thanks to a 1-0 victory over No. 8 seed La Salle (11/6). Redshirt freshman Steel Bayer scored on a header at 75:36 for the lone goal of the contest.
 
- Redshirt senior goalkeeper Sam Coss collected his eighth clean sheet of the 2026 season in the win over the Explorers. The eight shutouts, seven of which have come at home, are tied for fourth in the Duquesne single-season record book and are the most since former goalkeeper Evan Kozlowski (2012-16) posted nine in 2016.
 
- The Dukes earned their first Atlantic 10 regular-season championship in 21 years as well as their first outright crown since 2004 by finishing with a record of 6-2-0 (.750) in conference action. The 18 points for Duquesne was one better than Saint Louis (17), with the top four seeds in the tournament separated by just three points.
 
- The 2026 A10 regular-season championship is Duquesne's fourth in program history. The Dukes shared the crown in 2003 with Richmond, claimed the outright championship in 2004 and finished in a three-way tie atop the conference standings in 2005 with both Saint Louis and Rhode Island.
 
- Duquesne is making its eighth appearance in the Atlantic 10 Tournament under head coach Chase Brooks as well as its 15th appearance in program history. The Dukes finished as runner-up in 1999, 2002 and 2021.
 
- Entering the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, the Dukes own an RPI of 69. Saint Louis is the top team in the conference at 51, while Fordham owns an RPI of 115.
 
- Duquesne established a 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 38-6-7 (.814) at Rooney Field dating back to the beginning of the 2021 campaign.
 
- Redshirt senior Jaxon Ervin is the active leading scorer at Duquesne with 31 points courtesy of nine goals and 13 assists. He has started 50 of his 60 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 106-98-31 (.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 128-104-40 (.544).
 
Atlantic 10 Tournament Tidbits – Duquesne is appearing in the Atlantic 10 Tournament for the fifth time in the last six years … In its last tournament appearance, the Dukes tied Fordham (11/2), 1-1, in the 2024 regular-season finale at Rooney Field, only for the Rams to return for the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament and earn a 3-0 victory at Rooney Field (11/9) … In the 2022 Atlantic 10 Tournament, Duquesne wrapped its regular season with a 1-0 setback at La Salle (10/29), only to return home to Rooney Field (11/5) and post a 2-1 victory over the Explorers in the quarterfinals … Duquesne advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 A10 Tournament thanks to a 1-0 victory over La Salle (11/6), which came less than a week after dropping its 2026 regular-season finale at La Salle (10/31), 3-0 … The 1-0 victory over the Explorers marked the first win for the Dukes in the Atlantic 10 Tournament since 2022, which was also against La Salle, 2-1 … In that victory, Zach Mowka (2020-23) scored twice, including one from the spot, to propel Duquesne, which outshot La Salle, 13-7, in the second half … All-time in the Atlantic 10 Tournament the Dukes have posted a record of 6-12-3 (.357).
 
Scouting the Rams – Fordham owns an overall record of 7-7-2 (.500) entering the semifinals of the 2026 Atlantic 10 Tournament and finished at 4-3-1 (.562) in conference action … The Rams posted a 1-0 victory at No. 3 George Mason (11/6) to open conference tourney action … The lone goal of the contest against the Patriots came at 83:24, with Rayane Tchemmoun scoring on a penalty kick … Tchemmoun owns 10 points during the 2026 campaign thanks to four goals and a pair of assists, which ranks second for Fordham … The leading scorer for the Rams is Sam Delgado, who has found the back of the net five times and owns three assists for 13 points … In his eighth year as head coach at Fordham is Carlo Acquista (St. John's '00), who has guided the Rams to the NCAA Championship in both 2020 and 2024 … Duquesne and Fordham meet for 26th time in the all-time series Tuesday, with the Rams owning a 13-8-4 (.600) advantage … Duquesne is looking for its first victory over Fordham since 2012 … In the last 10 meetings between the two programs, the Rams lead, 6-0-4 (.800).
 
Defensively Speaking – Duquesne got back in the win column in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Atlantic 10 Tournament with a 1-0 victory over La Salle (11/6), and it was again the defense that stood at center stage. The Dukes own a team goals against average of 0.81, which leads the Atlantic 10 and is tied for eighth in NCAA Division I with Stony Brook of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). Duquesne also sits 17th in the country in save percentage (.791). 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 1,530 minutes for the Dukes and sits 20th in NCAA Division I in goals against average (0.82) and 34th in save percentage (.778).
 
Level Up – Redshirt freshman Steel Bayer propelled the Dukes to the semifinals of the 2026 Atlantic 10 Tournament by finding the back of the net at 75:36 to give Duquesne a 1-0 victory over La Salle (11/6). Not only was it the first goal of the year for Bayer, it was the first of NCAA Division I career. He is the 12th different student-athlete for Duquesne this year to score a goal and is one of 17 different players to register on the scoresheet. Bayer is also one 14 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 Tuesday's game against Fordham 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.
 
Did You Know? While Duquesne tallied 10 goals in consecutive Atlantic 10 victories over Davidson (3-0), St. Bonaventure (4-0) and VCU (3-0), marking the first time since 2022 the Dukes have turned the trick, it's been almost 25 years since accomplishing the feat against conference foes. Duquesne closed out the 2002 regular season by scoring 15 goals in its final three games, including a 10-0 victory over Fordham (11/1), a 2-1 triumph over La Salle (11/3) and a 3-2 victory over St. Bonaventure (11/9), each which came at Rooney Field.
 
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 49 saves through 17 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 37-16 (.698) in matches decided by one goal. Included in that stretch is a 21-5 (.808) record in such games at Rooney Field and a 16-11 (.593) mark on the road.
 
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