Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University lacrosse team is set to open its 2026 campaign on Saturday at Akron.
GAME 1
Duquesne Dukes (0-0 | 0-0 Atlantic 10) at Akron Zips (0-0 | 0-0 MAC)
Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026 | 3:00 p.m.
Akron, Ohio | Louis and Freda Stile Athletics Field House
Watch | Live Stats | Roster | Schedule
SEASON PREVIEW
Duquesne features six seniors, five juniors, six sophomores and six freshmen on its 2026 roster, led by second-year head coach
Tracy Coyne, who enters the season with 327 career victories — the eighth-most among active NCAA Division I head coaches.
"We're excited to get back on the field and compete," said Coyne. "This team has made tremendous strides toward meeting a higher standard throughout the offseason. Our grittiness, resilience and flexibility will be the foundation to our success. I'm excited to see their growth and development show on the field this year."
Duquesne returns a strong core while looking to replace the production of all-conference selections
Mackenzie Leszczynski (41 goals, 20 assists) and
Hanna Pawela (5th nationally in caused turnovers), along with five of its top six scorers from last season.
The Dukes will play a 15-game slate, including nine Atlantic 10 matchups. Five of the first six games are on the road, highlighted by the season opener and the A-10 opener on March 8 at Saint Joseph's. Mount St. Mary's visits the Bluff for the home opener on Valentine's Day at 1 p.m., and Duquesne will not return home until March 14 for an A-10 matchup against Davidson. Senior Day is set for April 11 vs. La Salle, while the regular-season finale on April 25 vs. Richmond will be the annual One Love Foundation Game at Rooney Field.
Click here for the full schedule.
Chelsea Evans was
voted the 2026 team captain, while
Casey McBride,
Faith Conaty and
Addison Scanlon were selected to the Dukes' Leadership Council.
Leading the Charge
Junior attacker
Gracin Emerson headlines the returning offensive production after posting 12 goals and 24 assists last season. Her 1.60 assists per game ranked among the top 10 in the Atlantic 10, and eight of her 12 goals came in conference play.
Senior
Emma Raines also returns after an injury cut short a strong start to her season, scoring eight goals in the first four games on just 11 shots on goal, including four in last year's season-opening win at Akron. Raines owns 18 career goals across two seasons at Duquesne and carries an .825 career shot-on-goal percentage.
Adding to the attack are senior
Chloe Holmes and sophomores
Abigail Krogmann and
Megan Marco. Holmes has totaled 21 career goals in 35 games, including 17 as a freshman when she started all 16 contests. Marco played in all 15 games with two starts as a true freshman, scoring six goals on nine shots while adding two assists. Krogmann recorded her first career point with an assist in the win over Mercyhurst last season.
Captain Commands the Midfield
Senior team captain
Chelsea Evans leads a young but experienced midfield. Evans started all 15 games last season after returning from an injury that forced her to miss the 2024 campaign and has started all 31 career games she has played. The Marlton, N.J. native leads all returners with 47 career goals.
Evans burst onto the Atlantic 10 scene in 2023 with 31 goals — the second-most by an A-10 rookie — earning all-rookie team honors. The versatile midfielder followed with a strong 2025 season, tallying 16 goals and four assists while adding 36 ground balls, 32 draw controls and 28 caused turnovers, all top returning marks for the Dukes. Evans ranked among the conference's top 10 in caused turnovers and ground balls per game.
A junior, three sophomores and three freshmen round out the midfield group.
Ali Evans has appeared in 18 career games entering her third season and scored once last year.
Mia Piocquidio started all 15 games as a true freshman and earned A-10 Rookie of the Week honors after scoring twice in her collegiate debut during an overtime victory at Akron. Piocquidio finished with seven goals and one assist.
Addison Scanlon recorded five goals and 22 ground balls — the second-most among returners — with four goals coming in conference play.
Kelsea Cooke added three goals, all in A-10 action, and won six draw controls in her first season.
Cooke's sister,
Ryan Cooke, joins the program alongside All-American
Sydney Girardi (East Aurora, N.Y.) and all-state midfielder
Julia Nitti (New Fairfield, Conn.).
Defensive Dukes
Senior
Casey McBride spearheads a veteran defensive unit that ranked fourth in Division I last season in caused turnovers per game and 10th in ground balls per game. Individually, McBride has placed among the top seven in the Atlantic 10 in caused turnovers per game in each of her first three seasons and has started 43 games since arriving on the Bluff in 2023.
Faith Conaty brings additional experience with 29 starts as a Duke and back-to-back seasons posting double-digit caused turnovers and ground balls, along with 24 career draw controls.
Mia Failla is set to return for her senior season after missing 2025 due to injury. Failla has appeared in 20 career games. Junior
Avery Wentzel and sophomore
Morgan Raines add to the defensive corps.
In the Cage
Megan LaBorne enters her senior season with 36 games of experience and is coming off her best campaign, posting a .363 save percentage with 74 saves across 500+ minutes in 15 games.
Junior
Jadyn Jones joined the Dukes this fall as a transfer from Central Connecticut State. She recorded 122 saves over 20 games in two seasons with the Blue Devils, including 114 saves and a .384 save percentage in 12 starts last year.
True freshman
Ella Roach, a local product from nearby Mars Area High School, rounds out the unit. Roach was a high school All-American and led her team to three WPIAL titles.
DUKES IN SEASON OPENERS
- Duquesne is 1-0 under Coyne in season openers, defeating Akron 12-11 in overtime last year.
- The Dukes holds a 14-15 all-time record in season openers.
- The Dukes are 3-8 when starting their season on the road.
- This marks the third consecutive year starting on the road and just the fifth time in the last 17 seasons (2020, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026).
SERIES HISTORY VS. AKRON
- Duquesne leads 3-0
- Under Coyne: 1-0
- Last Meeting: Feb. 8, 2025 at AKR - W, 12-11 (OT)
- First Meeting: Mar. 11, 2020 at DUQ - W, 25-2
- Streak: W3
- Home/Away Record: (H) 2-0 / (A) 1-0
- Last season: Dukes overcame a four-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime and won 12-11 ... Emma Raines had a game-high four goals, Mia Piocquidio and Chelsea Evans both scored twice ... Was first game under head coach Tracy Coyne.
UP NEXT
Duquesne will host Mount Saint Mary's next Saturday (Feb. 14) for its home opener. Start time is set for 1 p.m. at Rooney Field. Admission to all home lacrosse games is free.
FOLLOW THE DUKES
Follow Duquesne Lacrosse all season online at
GoDuquesne.com, as well as on
X (Twitter),
Instagram, and
Facebook (@DuqLax).
