Jessica Giegucz was named Duquesne women's soccer head coach Dec. 20, 2024.
In her first year on the Bluff, Gieguz (pronounced Guy-giss) made an immediate impact, helping guide the Dukes to an overall record of 12-5-2 (.684), including a 7-3 (.700) mark in the Atlantic 10. Duquesne tied a school record for victories, while the seven wins in conference play was just one shy of the most in program history.
Offering a style of play that features the offense on the attack, Giegucz was instrumental as the Dukes set new standards for goals (44) and points (113) as the senior trio of Maya Matesa, Brianna Moore and Mackenzie Muir combined for 31 goals and nine assists. Matesa was named the 2025 Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year, and she was joined on the 2025 Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team by both Moore and Muir. Matesa also garnered 2025 Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team accolades, collected 2025 United Soccer Coaches All-East Region honors along with Muir and was named to the 2025 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Scholar All-America Third Team. Muir, meanwhile, was named a recipient of the 2026 Atlantic 10 Postgraduate Scholarship.
Among NCAA Division I leaders in her first year at the helm of the Dukes, Giegucz helped Duquesne finish third in the country in shots on goal per game (10.16), fourth in shots per contest (21.74), 16th in scoring offense (2.32) and 40th in points per game (5.95). The Dukes also finished with a goal differential of +24, which ranked in the top 30 in NCAA Division I.
Giegucz spent 10 years as head coach at NCAA Division II Slippery Rock prior to taking over at Duquesne, where she amassed a record of 104-48-24 (.659). In seven of those seasons, Giegucz guided the Rock to at least 10 wins, and SRU also qualified for nine consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament appearances. In 2019, Slippery Rock finished with an overall record of 18-4 (.818), including a mark of 14-2 (.875) in the PSAC. That season culminated with a 2-1 win over Edinboro in the PSAC Tournament final, earning The Rock an automatic berth in the 2019 NCAA Championship. Â
"As the search process played out, it became apparent that the qualifications Jessica brought to the table were the perfect fit at Duquesne University and for our women's soccer program," Harper said. "Her attention to detail, vision and sustained success at Slippery Rock will help elevate our program. Jessica has a passion for the sport, is driven to succeed and we're excited to welcome her to Duquesne. We look forward to supporting Jessica and the program moving forward."
During her tenure at SRU, Giegucz coached and mentored a total of 44 All-PSAC selections, including two PSAC West Athlete of the Year honorees and one PSAC West Freshman of the Year selection. In 2019, forward Rachel Edge was named PSAC West Athlete of the Year as a sophomore, while senior Madison Johnson was tabbed PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year. The previous year, midfielder Jordyn Minda was named the 2018 PSAC West Freshman of the Year.
"I'm beyond excited to be the next head coach for Duquesne women's soccer," Giegucz said. "It's an honor to be able to lead these great women going forward and to celebrate the previous successes of this incredible program. I want to thank Dave Harper, Rick Christensen and the entire administration for their confidence in my appointment and for trusting in me to guide the women's soccer program. I'm grateful for the 10 years spent at Slippery Rock and am proud of the accomplishments of the student-athletes and want to extend appreciation to all my former players for their commitment to the program and to bettering themselves both on and off the field. I'm eager to begin working with the student-athletes at Duquesne University and to guide them to set, achieve and celebrate all of their goals going forward."
In addition to the multiple PSAC plaudits at Slippery Rock under Giegucz, a total of 23 student-athletes earned United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-Atlantic Region accolades, including three this past season. Seniors Nina King and Sydney Patrick and junior Libby Zacharyasz each were named to the 2024 USC All-Atlantic Region Team. In her first year leading SRU in 2015, Giegucz tutored forward Dara Demich, who was selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America Third Team.
Slippery Rock also excelled academically under the watchful eye of Giegucz, as four of her student-athletes earned USC Scholar All-America status as well as were named to a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America® Team. In addition, SRU regularly boasted one of the top team GPAs in the PSAC.
Giegucz, a native Guilford, Conn., began her head coaching career in Ashland, Wisc., at NCAA Division III Northland College, where she posted a record of 11-9-1 (.548) in 2014 before being named the head coach at Slippery Rock. In 12 seasons as a head coach, Giegucz owns an overall record of 127-62-27 (.650).
A decorated student-athlete at Dickinson College, Giegucz finished her career with 88 points thanks to 34 goals and 20 assists. She concluded her career with the Red Devils ranked fourth in program history in both goals and points and in each of her four years was an All-Centennial Conference selection. In 2005, Giegucz helped guide Dickinson to its first NCAA Division III Championship, where the Red Devils advanced to the Round of 16.
Giegucz, who is a 2007 graduate of Dickinson with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish, began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Shippensburg from 2010-13. The Raiders compiled 33 wins during that stretch as well as two PSAC Tournament appearances. In 2017, Giegucz earned a Master of Science degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Lock Haven.
Giegucz and her husband, Geoff, have a daughter, Gigi, and a son, Mack, and reside in Cranberry Township, Pa.
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