Dukes remain unbeaten at home; top St. Bonaventure, 2-1

From Duquesne University Athletic Department report 

Maxi Hopfer’s sixth goal in six games was the difference as Duquesne (7-5-1, 3-2-1) maintained its perfect home record with a 2-1 win over St. Bonaventure (3-9-1, 2-4) Wednesday night on Rooney Field.

The win was DU’s sixth without a loss at home this season.

“As I’ve said plenty of times in the past, every A-10 game is difficult and tonight was no different,” Duquesne Head Coach Chase Brooks, said. “We knew the Bonnies were going to be a tough test because we both needed a win. We – at home – are a very strong team and we battled hard tonight. We’ll take it.”

The Dukes sit in fifth place in the A-10, with two conference games remaining against UMass and Dayton.

How It Happened 

Ryan Goodhew scored in the 34th minute to give the Dukes a short-lived 1-0 lead, before SBU’s Isaac Boamah tied it on an unassisted goal in the 37th minute.

DU pressured the Bonnies early in the second half and broke through when Hopfer gathered a rebound off SBU keeper Trevor Wilson and poked it in for his 10th goal of the season in the 56th minute.

Maxi Hopfer moving up the ranks for @DuqMSoccer's top scoring seasons…

18 — Damien Pottinger (2002)
13 — Colin Phillips (2015)
12 — Damien Pottinger (2003)
11 — Joshua Patterson (2012)
10 — MAXI HOPFER (2021)#GoDukes #PittsburghSoccer @PghSoccerNow https://t.co/BHAYroXREK

— John Krysinsky (@JohnKrysinsky) October 21, 2021

The score kept Hopfer atop the A-10 in total goals while moving him alone into fifth place on DU’s single-season goals list.

Hopfer’s goal came after Zach Mowka put a shot on net that was saved by Wilson.

Goodhew’s goal, which came off passes from Nate Dragisich and Mowka was his fourth of the season.

Domenic Nascimben had six saves for the Dukes, with none bigger than a leaping punch to deny a Matthew Wrobel header in the 87th minute.

Duquesne’s 29 shots were four shy of the school record. DU finished with 15 shots on goal, with SBU’s Wilson posting 12 saves.

Duquesne hosts UMass on Saturday night in its last regular season Atlantic 10 home game. Final year players Ade Akinjogbin, Jacob Benintendi, Jaime Borjas, Ryan Landry and Eric Zech will be honored in a pregame ceremony. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+).

The Dukes conclude the home schedule on Tues., Oct. 26 with a non-conference match versus Wright State (7:00 p.m. on ESPN+). DU’s final A-10 game is at Dayton on Oct. 30.

More match detail… 

• Zach Mowka put a shot on goal off a long pass from Tom Tzabari in the 4th minute. Mowka added a second shot on net 30 seconds later.
• Maxi Hopfer rifled a shot off the left post in the 15th minute
• SBU’s Cuneyt Varder skimmed a shot off the DU crossbar in the 17th minute.
• Hopfer put another rocket on goal the 18th minute that was tipped away by SBU keeper Trevor Wilson.
• Nate Dragisich initiated the first goal of the game in the 34th minute when he found Zach Mowka who crossed it to Ryan Goodhew. Goodhew headed it into the net to break the ice. The goal was Goodhew’s fourth of the year.
• SBU tied it in the 37th minute on an unassisted goal from Isaac Boamah who had just entered the game following Goodhew’s goal.
• Duquesne had a 14-7 advantage in first half shots, including a 7-4 margin in shots on goal.
• DU was assessed three yellow cards in the opening 45 minutes.
• Dragisich put a shot just left of the net early in the second half.
• Hopfer crossed to Dragisich who shot wide in the 49th minute.
• Duquesne continued to pressure and was rewarded in the 56th minute when Mowka had a shot saved that rolled back to Hopfer who deposited it in the net for his 10th goal of the season.
• Nascimben made a nice save on a Matthew Wrobel shot in the 67th minute.
• Logan Muck entered the game and immediately put a shot on goal in the 77th minute.
• The Bonnies nearly tied it in the closing minutes when Matthew Wrobel headed a ball on goal that was punched away by a leaping Nascimben in the 87th minute.
• Goodhew put a free kick just over the crossbar that nearly made it 3-1 in the final minute.
• DU’s 29 shots were four shy of the school record set in 1995 vs. La Salle.
• Three Dukes finished with five or more shots led by Hopfer with nine (Dragisich and Mowka had five each).