Christian Daikeler

Preview: Lacrosse Hosts Rhode Island Saturday at Rooney Field

3/27/2026 2:00:00 PM

Last Time Out: Two program records were shattered in Duquesne's 16-14 loss to George Mason last Saturday. Junior Gracin Emerson became the program's single-season assist leader in the first quarter, recording her 45th assist to break Meghan Frederick's 2009 record. Emerson finished with three assists and now has 47 on the season. Freshman Madison Welch set a new single-game record with 15 draw controls, leading Duquesne to a 21-11 advantage at the draw. Mia Piocquidio led the offense with a career-high five goals and one assist for six points, while Emma Raines added four goals and Chelsea Evans recorded her third hat trick of the season. Megan Marco and Addison Scanlon each added a goal. Duquesne tied the game at 7-7 at halftime, but a five-goal advantage in the third quarter for George Mason proved to be the difference as the Patriots fended off a late Dukes rally.
Weekly Honors: Madison Welch earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors after breaking her own program record with 15 draw controls. It marked the second time of her debut season she has set the single-game record, previously posting 14 in the win at Mercyhurst. Welch ranks second in the A-10 averaging 6.33 draw controls per game.
NCAA Leaders: Junior Gracin Emerson and senior Emma Raines remain among the nation's leaders. Emerson leads Division I in assists (47) and assists per game (5.22), while Raines ranks No. 1 nationally in shot percentage (74.3%).
Gracin The Great: Gracin Emerson broke the Duquesne single-season assist record last game and now has 47 through nine contests, leading all NCAA divisions. Emerson is on pace for a historic season nationally. No Division I player has averaged 5.0 assists per game over a full season (record: 4.63 by Ashley Humphrey, Stanford, 2022). She needs 28 assists over the final six regular-season games to reach that mark. A junior out of East Lansing, Michigan, Emerson has recorded at least three assists in every game this season and has tied the program's single-game record (7) twice. Prior to this season, only one seven-assist game had been recorded in Duquesne's previous 29 seasons. Six or more assists have come in four games, and Emerson is one of only two Division I players with multiple seven-assist performances this season. Five goals bring her point tally to 52, ranking fifth nationally at 5.78 points per game.
Raining Goals: Emma Raines has six hat tricks this season and has scored multiple goals in eight of nine games. She leads the Dukes with 26 goals on 35 shots. Raines ranks No. 1 nationally with a 74.3% shot percentage and has posted three perfect shooting performances this season.
We Shoot, We Score: Duquesne ranks second nationally in shot percentage, converting 52.5% of its attempts (105 goals on 200 shots). From the free-position arc, the Dukes are 60.7% (17-for-28), ranking sixth nationally. Mia Piocquidio leads the team with five free-position goals (71.4% – 14th nationally, 2nd in A-10).
Program Records This Season: Emerson has tied the single-game assist record twice (7 vs. Mount St. Mary's, at Mercyhurst) and set the single-season assist record (47 and counting), while Welch has set the single-game draw control record twice (14 at Mercyhurst, then 15 last game vs. George Mason).
Defensive Dukes: Addison Scanlon charts 2.67 ground balls per game, ranking third in the Atlantic 10. Scanlon, Chelsea Evans and Casey McBride each average 1.56 caused turnovers per game, tied for sixth in the conference. First-year goalkeeper Ella Roach has 82 saves, averaging 9.11 per game, which ranks second in the A-10 and among the top 20 nationally.

Streak Spotlight
Gracin Emerson — 3+ assists in every game; 5+ points in eight of nine
Chelsea Evans — goal in six straight and eight of nine; multiple ground balls in three straight
Megan Marco — goal in four straight and eight of nine
Emma Raines — multiple goals in eight of nine
Faith Conaty — multiple ground balls in three straight
Madison Welch — 7+ draw controls in back-to-back games

THE RAMS
Roster | Schedule | Stats

Rhode Island, voted sixth in the A-10 Preseason Poll, is in its second season as a program and enters at 4-7 overall and 1-3 in Atlantic 10 play. The Rams earned their conference win at La Salle (17-6) on March 18 before falling 12-8 to St. Bonaventure in their last outing.
URI has scored double-digit goals in three games this season and is 3-0 in those contests. Five of its 11 games have been decided by four goals or fewer.
Sophomore Caralie Basuel leads the Rams with 36 points (32 goals, four assists) and ranks fifth in the A-10 in goals. The 2025 A-10 Rookie of the Year, Basuel was also named to the 2026 preseason all-conference team.
Rhode Island ranks among the top 25 nationally in free-position percentage (52.6%). Basuel leads the A-10 and ranks 10th nationally with 0.91 free-position goals per game.
Goalkeeper Casey Phelps has 98 saves, ninth-most in Division I, averaging 8.91 per game.
Head coach Jenna Slowey leads the Rams in their second season after an 8-8 overall record in their inaugural campaign in 2025.

SERIES HISTORY
Rhode Island leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Apr. 19, 2025 at DUQ – L, 17-16
First Meeting: Apr. 19, 2025 at DUQ – L, 17-16
Streak: L1
Home/AwayRecord: (H) 0-1 / (A) 0-0
Notes: Duquesne dropped last season's inaugural meeting, 17-16, in the regular-season finale. The Dukes led 13-8 at halftime before URI rallied, with the game featuring two fourth-quarter ties. The Rams scored the game-winner with 4:36 remaining. Emerson totaled three goals and two assists in the contest, the leading returner for the Dukes.

30TH SEASON OF DUKES LACROSSE
Duquesne lacrosse is celebrating its 30th season as a varsity program on the Bluff in 2026. The Dukes, who began play in 1997, own an all-time record of 240-239 and have made 15 Atlantic 10 Championship appearances, highlighted by two regular-season co-championships.

UP NEXT
Duquesne travels to VCU next Saturday for a 1 p.m. matchup on ESPN+.

FOLLOW THE DUKES
Follow Duquesne Lacrosse all season online at GoDuquesne.com, as well as on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook (@DuqLax).

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Duquesne University Athletics

Preview: Lacrosse Hosts Rhode Island Saturday at Rooney Field

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