Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University lacrosse team travels to VCU on Saturday for an Atlantic 10 matchup.
GAME 11
Duquesne Dukes (1-9 | 0-5 A-10) at VCU Rams (8-4, 4-1 A-10)
Saturday, April 4 | 1:00 p.m.
Richmond, Va. | Cary Street Field
Watch Live on ESPN+ | Live Stats
THE DUKES
Roster | Schedule | Stats
- Last Time Out: Duquesne dropped a 15-8 decision last Saturday against Rhode Island at Rooney Field. Emma Raines led the Dukes with three goals. Duquesne tied the game at 6-6 at halftime, but Rhode Island scored nine of the final 11 goals to pull away.
- NCAA Leaders: Junior Gracin Emerson and senior Emma Raines continue to rank among the nation's leaders. Emerson leads Division I in assists per game (4.90), while Raines ranks No. 1 nationally in shot percentage (72.5%).
- Gracin The Great: Gracin Emerson broke the Duquesne single-season assist record and now has 49 through 10 games, leading the nation at 4.90 assists per game. The Division I single-season record for assists per game is 4.63 (Ashley Humphrey, Stanford, 2022). Emerson needs 21 assists over the final five regular-season games to set a new NCAA mark. The East Lansing, Michigan, native has tied the program's single-game assist record (7) twice. Prior to this season, only one seven-assist game had been recorded in Duquesne's previous 29 seasons. Emerson has posted six or more assists in four games and is one of only three Division I players with multiple seven-assist performances this season. Six goals bring the point total to 55, ranking fifth nationally at 5.50 points per game.
- Raining Goals: Emma Raines leads the Dukes with 29 goals, averaging 2.90 per game, which ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10. Raines has recorded a team-best seven hat tricks this season, including a career-high five in the win at Mercyhurst, and enters with seven goals over the last two games. Her 29 goals have been scored on 40 shots to lead the country in shot percentage (72.5%).
- The Welch Effect: Freshman Madison Welch ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in draw controls per game (6.4). Welch has set the Duquesne single-game record twice this season with 14 in the win at Mercyhurst and 15 against George Mason. Following the record-setting performance against the Patriots, Welch earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors.
- We Shoot, We Score: Duquesne ranks fourth nationally in both shot percentage (.511) and free-position percentage (.600). The Dukes have scored 113 goals on 221 shots and are 18-for-30 from the free-position arc.
- Program Records This Season: Emerson has tied the single-game assist record twice and set the single-season assist record (49 and counting), while Welch has set the single-game draw control record twice.
- Defensive Dukes: Three Dukes rank among the top six in the Atlantic 10 in caused turnovers per game. Chelsea Evans is second (2.00), while Casey McBride (1.80) and Addison Scanlon (1.50) rank fifth and sixth, respectively. Scanlon is also second in the league in ground balls per game (2.80), while Evans ranks fifth (2.40). As a team, Duquesne ranks third in the A-10 in both ground balls (16.4) and caused turnovers per game (9.7). Freshman goalkeeper Ella Roach is second in the conference in saves per game (9.30).
Streak Spotlight
Gracin Emerson — multiple assists in every game; 5+ points in eight of 10
Chelsea Evans — multiple ground balls in four straight; multiple caused turnovers in three straight
Megan Marco — goal in five straight and nine of 10
Emma Raines — hat trick or better in back-to-back games; multiple goals in nine of 10
Faith Conaty — multiple ground balls in four straight
Madison Welch — 7+ draw controls in three straight
THE RAMS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
- VCU enters at 8-4 overall and 4-1 in Atlantic 10 play. After dropping its conference opener to Richmond, the Rams have won four straight A-10 games. VCU fell 13-8 to Elon in its most recent outing Tuesday.
- The Rams rank among the top 10 nationally in caused turnovers per game (11.50), led by Katie Bornyek, who averages 2.0 per game and ranks second in the conference.
- Offensively, VCU is paced by juniors Sam Palmer (32 goals) and Rachel Koeneke, who leads the team with 47 points on 26 goals and 21 assists. The Rams average 12.2 goals per game and allow 9.2.
SERIES HISTORY
VCU leads 7-1
Last Meeting: Mar. 22, 2025 at DUQ – L, 17-9
First Meeting: Apr, 8, 2016 at DUQ – W, 12-10
Streak: L7
Home/AwayRecord: (H) 1-3 / (A) 0-4
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 240-240 and have made 15 Atlantic 10 Championship appearances, highlighted by two regular-season co-championships.
UP NEXT
Duquesne hosts Youngstown State on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Rooney Field for a midweek non-conference tilt.
FOLLOW THE DUKES
Follow Duquesne Lacrosse all season online at
GoDuquesne.com, as well as on
X (Twitter),
Instagram, and
Facebook (@DuqLax).
