Duquesne women’s soccer releases 2021 schedule

Photo courtesy Ed Thompson

From Duquesne University Athletic Department report

A pair of matchups against 2020 College Cup qualifiers highlight the 2021 Duquesne women’s soccer schedule released on Monday.

The Dukes, under 10^th-year head coach Al Alvine, will open the season with home matches against Saint Francis U (Aug. 22) and Valparaiso (Aug. 27), before traveling on Sunday, Aug. 29 to take on West Virginia. The Mountaineers, who are coming off a 10-2-1 season, qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 21st consecutive year – the fifth-longest streak in the country, last spring.

Duquesne will host Saint Louis on Thursday, Sept. 23 under the lights at Rooney Field. The Billikins won the Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament titles for a third consecutive year in 2020-21. They made a third-straight NCAA Championship appearance and were ranked No. 20 in the final United Soccer Coaches national poll.

The Dukes will also play non-conference matches against Youngstown State (Sept. 5), at Niagara (Sept. 9) and at Buffalo (Sept. 12).

Duquesne opens A-10 play on Sunday, Sept. 19 when it hosts Massachusetts. Other home A-10 matches include Richmond (Sept. 30), La Salle (Oct. 14), and George Washington (Oct. 21).

The Dukes will hit the road to take on A-10 foes Saint Joseph’s (Sept. 26), Davidson (Oct. 3), George Mason (Oct. 10), and Rhode Island (Oct. 17), before closing the regular-season at St. Bonaventure (Oct. 24).

The A-10 Women’s Soccer Championship returns to its customary eight-team format this season. Quarterfinal games will take place at campus sites Oct. 30 or 31, while the semifinals and final will be played Nov. 5 and 7, respectively, at a campus site to be determined.

Duquesne will play a pair of exhibition matches prior to the season. The Dukes will travel to Kent State on Aug. 8 and host Cleveland State on Aug. 13 at 4 p.m.

2021 SCHEDULE QUICK NOTES

• Duquesne and West Virginia are meeting for the first time since 2019. The Mountaineers won that match 2-0 in Morgantown.
• DU has tied WVU twice in the 11-game series, the last of which came in 2012 – Head Coach Al Alvine‘s first season on the sidelines with the Dukes.
• Duquesne will face members of five different conferences in non-league play. Saint Francis (NEC), Valparaiso and Youngstown State (Horizon), West Virginia (Big 12), Niagara (Metro-Atlantic), and Buffalo (Mid-American).
• The Dukes will play a balanced schedule with eight home matches and eight contests on the road.

2021 DUQUESNE WOMEN’S SCHEDULE

DOW	Date	Time	At	Opponent	Location
Sunday	Aug. 8	1pm	Away	Kent State (EXHIBITION)	Kent, OH
Friday	Aug. 13	4pm	Home	Cleveland State (EXHIBITION)	Pittsburgh, PA Rooney Field
Sunday	Aug. 22	2pm	Home	Saint Francis (PA)	Pittsburgh, PA Rooney Field
Friday	Aug. 27	7pm	Home	Valparaiso	Pittsburgh, PA Rooney Field
Sunday	Aug. 29	5pm	Away	West Virginia	Morgantown, WV
Sunday	Sept. 5	1pm	Home	Youngstown State	Pittsburgh, PA Rooney Field
Thursday	Sept. 9	7pm	Away	Niagara	Niagara Falls, NY
Sunday	Sept. 12	Noon	Away	Buffalo	Buffalo, NY
Sunday	Sept. 19	1pm	Home	Massachusetts	Pittsburgh, PA Rooney Field
Thursday	Sept. 23	7pm	Home	Saint Louis	Pittsburgh, PA Rooney Field
Sunday	Sept. 26	1pm	Away	Saint Joseph's	Philadelphia, PA
Thursday	Sept. 30	7pm	Home	Richmond	Pittsburgh, PA Rooney Field
Sunday	Oct. 3	2pm	Away	Davidson	Davidson, NC
Sunday	Oct. 10	1pm	Away	George Mason	Fairfax, VA
Thursday	Oct. 14	7pm	Home	La Salle	Pittsburgh, PA Rooney Field
Sunday	Oct. 17	1pm	Away	Rhode Island	Kingston, RI
Thursday	Oct. 21	7pm	Home	George Washington	Pittsburgh, PA Rooney Field
Sunday	Oct. 24	1pm	Away	St. Bonaventure	Olean, NY