GAME 11
Duquesne (4-4-2 | 1-0-1 A10) at VCU (1-6-3 | 1-1-0 A10)
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026 | 1:00 p.m.
Richmond, Va. | City Stadium
 
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From The Pitch

- The Duquesne University women's soccer team concludes a two-game swing through Richmond, Va., Sunday at 1:00 p.m. against VCU in a game that will be played at City Stadium, home of the Richmond Kickers of USL League One.

- The Dukes opened their trip with a 1-1 draw at Richmond (9/24). The Spiders grabbed the lead early in the second half, 1-0, after a scoreless 45 minutes, but Duquesne garnered the equalizer at 81:12. Senior Paige Kuisis redirected the ball in the box and hit the near post, with the ball bouncing back out. Freshman Claire Beasley was in position, converting to tie the contest.

- The Dukes opened the Atlantic 10 portion of their schedule with a 2-1 victory over Rhode Island (9/19) at Rooney Field. Duquesne fell behind early, but goals from senior Anna Bundy (34:14) in the first half and senior Jayden Sharpless (59:37) in the second half helped the Dukes earn the win.

- Bundy and Sharpless serve as co-captains of the 2026 Dukes, and the performance in the win over the Rams marks the first time the pair have scored a goal in the same game.

- Despite being outshot, 21-17, in the Atlantic 10 opener against URI, the Dukes have collected 68 shots over their last four games (17.0 per contest). In contrast, Duquesne finished with 41 shots in its first six contests of the year, an average of 6.83 per game.

- The Dukes are led by second-year head coach Jessica Giegucz, who guided Duquesne to an overall mark of 12-5-2 (.654) last year, including a mark of 7-3 (.700) in the Atlantic 10. Duquesne, which tied a program record for victories, hosted its first Atlantic 10 Championship game since 2017.

- Giegucz was named the sixth head coach in program history at Duquesne Dec. 20, 2024. In 10 seasons as head coach at Slippery Rock, Giegucz compiled an overall record of 104-48-24 (.659). She began her coaching career in Ashland, Wisc., at NCAA Division III Northland College, where she posted a mark of 11-9-1 (.548) in 2014 prior to being tabbed the head coach at Slippery Rock.

- Duquesne's win at Mercyhurst (8/24/25) marked the 200th game for Jessica Giegucz as a head coach in stints at Northland College, Slippery Rock and Duquesne. In 13 seasons as a head coach, Giegucz owns an overall record of 131-66-29 (.644).

- The Dukes return home to Rooney Field for its next two games after taking on the Rams, beginning Sunday, Oct. 4, at 1:00 p.m. against George Washington for Youth Day.

Scouting the Rams – VCU evened its Atlantic 10 record at 1-1 (.500) after a 5-0 victory over St. Bonaventure (9/24) and overall during the 2026 season owns a record of 1-6-3 (.250) … Freshman forward Monique McEnhimer scored a pair of goals in the win over the Bonnies and leads VCU in scoring this season with 10 points thanks to four goals and a pair of assists … McEnhimer owns three goals and two assists over the last three games … The Rams are led by Lauryn Hutchinson (VCU '13), who is in her second season as head coach after being named to the position Feb. 12, 2025 … Sunday marks the 10th meeting in the all-time series between Duquesne and VCU, with the Dukes leading, 5-4 (.556) … In the meeting between the two programs last season, the senior trio of Mackenzie Muir, Brianna Moore and Maya Matesa each found the back of the net in a 3-0 triumph at Rooney Field (10/2/25).

Tally-Ho – Ten games into the 2026 season, a total of nine different players have scored a goal for the Dukes. Of those nine student-athletes to find the back of the net, six have scored their first career NCAA Division I goal. Freshman forward Molly Kinsella was the latest to get in on the act, as her header accounted for Duquesne's only score in the non-conference finale against Ohio (9/13) at Rooney Field. Of the six players to notch their first career NCAA Division I goal this season, three are true freshman (Kinsella, Allison Bechtel and Claire Beasley). Meanwhile, senior Anna Bundy became the ninth different player to score a goal in the Atlantic 10 opener vs. Rhode Island (9/19), collecting her first strike of the season.

Road Warrior – Freshman Claire Beasley has scored in each of Duquesne's last two road games thanks to securing the equalizer for the Dukes in a 1-1 draw at Richmond (9/24). She collected her first career NCAA Division I strike in a 1-1 draw at Youngstown State (9/10). The goal for Beasley against the Spiders was set up by senior Paige Kuisis, who thanks to the assist became the 11th different player for Duquesne this year to register on the scoresheet. In addition, each of the four game-winning goals for the Dukes in 2026 have come from four different players.

Dodge Ram – Sophomore Brynn Ramsey came off the bench in Duquesne's 2026 season opener at Eastern Michigan but has been a steady presence in the starting lineup since, and she's produced. In collecting her fourth assist of the year against Ohio (9/13) in the 2026 non-conference finale, Ramsey owns six points in her nine starts this season. She also fired a career-high six shots in a 1-1 draw at Youngstown State (9/10), including a pair on frame, while logging a career-high 79 minutes. Ramsey is tied for second in the Atlantic 10 with four assists this season, four behind Ella Cadigan of La Salle, who owns eight.

Moving Up – While sophomore Brynn Ramsey has produced as a starter for the Dukes, senior Kayla Leseck continues to be in the middle of rallies for Duquesne. She provided an assist on the goal in the first half by senior Anna Bundy against URI (9/19) that tied the score, 1-1, heading into halftime. It marked Leseck's third assist of the campaign as well as the 13th of her career, helping Leseck continue her climb in the career record book in the category. Leseck is tied for fifth all-time on the Bluff with former teammate Mackenzie Muir (2022-25).

Hardware – Senior goalkeeper Ali Hughes was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week (8/31) thanks to a pair of clean sheets in the first two home games of the 2026 season at Rooney Field. In wins over Akron (8/27) and Kent State (8/30), Hughes finished with 16 saves, including a career-high nine in the win over the Golden Flashes. It marks the second career weekly honor for Hughes from the Atlantic 10, who enters Sunday's game at VCU with three shutouts this season and 10 over the last two years.

Lineup Stalwart – Senior Jayden Sharpless has been a steady presence for the Dukes in the midfield throughout her career, as she is the only player for Duquesne to have started all 66 games dating to the beginning of the 2023 campaign. Sharpless owns career totals of three goals and two assists on 64 shots, 25 of which have been on frame. Sharpless was also the only field player for the Dukes last year to have played 1,730 out of a possible 1,730 minutes, and she has logged a full 90 in each of the first 10 games of 2026 for Duquesne. Sharpless has logged a full game in 62.1 percent (41-of-66) of her career contests, which includes a career-high 110 minutes against Fordham in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship.

Captain O Captain – Serving as team captains for Duquesne in 2026 are seniors Jayden Sharpless and Anna Bundy. Bundy started all 19 games for the Dukes last season and has appeared in 64 contests throughout her career on the Bluff, registering five goals and 12 points. She was named to the 2023 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.

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