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Atlantic 10 Men’s Quarterfinal Round Preview: Duquesne vs St. Joseph’s, 2 p.m.

photo courtesy Zac Weiss
Atlantic 10 Men’s Soccer Tournament – Quarterfinal Round 

Duquesne (8-6-2, 3-3-2)

vs

Saint Joseph’s (8-8-1, 5-2-1) 

Sunday, Nov. 7 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)

Sixth-seeded Duquesne makes its first Atlantic 10 Championship appearance since 2016 when it heads to Philadelphia to take on third-seeded Saint Joseph’s

The winner of Sunday’s match moves on to face the winner of the No. 7 Davidson at No. 2 Rhode Island game on Nov. 12 at a to be determined site.

Zac Weiss’ Duquense Coverage 

Duquesne Loses Opportunity to Host QF Match; Seeded Sixth For A-10’s

Duquesne’s Historic Season Reaches New Levels

Duquense Game Notes 

THE SERIES VS. SAINT JOSEPH’S

  • Duquesne leads the series 14-7-1, including an 8-4 advantage in Philadelphia.
  • DU’s eight wins at SJU are its second-most on an A-10 opponent’s home field (exceeded only by nine victories at St. Bonaventure).
  • DU is 8-1-1 in its past 10 meetings with the Hawks (12-2-1 dating back to 2002).
  • Duquesne had won five five in a row on Hawk Hill prior to SJU’s 3-1 win on Oct. 16.
  • SJU was picked to finish 12th in the Atlantic 10 preseason Coaches Poll (DU was picked tied for 10th).
  • The Hawks are 3-5-0 at home, while the Dukes are 1-6-1 (0-3-1 in the A-10) on the road.

THE BRACKET
Sixth-seeded Duquesne went 0-1-1 this season against the teams on its side of the bracket. DU’s first round opponent, No. 3 seed Saint Joseph’s, scored twice in the second half (64′ & 78′) to defeat the Dukes 3-1 in Philadelphia on Oct. 16. Maxi Hopfer gave DU a 1-0 lead on a goal in the 33rd minute. SJU tied it less than one minute later. The loss was DU’s first in the last 10 meetings with the Hawks. The defeat also snapped Duquesne’s five-match series win streak in Philadelphia. On the other side of the bracket, DU played to a 1-1 draw at No. 7 seed Davidson on Oct. 2. The Dukes did not face their other potential second round opponent, No. 2 seed Rhode Island, this year.

QUICK NOTES

  • This is Duquesne’s fourth Atlantic 10 Championship appearance in nine seasons under head coach Chase Brooks (2013, 2015, 2016 & 2021), and first since 2016. It is the 11th appearance in program history (1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016). The Dukes are 2-8-3 all-time at the A-10 Championship including runner-up finishes in 1999 & 2002.
  • The Dukes are looking for their first A-10 Championship win since a 2-1 semifinal victory over host Richmond in 2002. Since that game, DU is 0-7-3 in Championship play. The last time DU advanced was in 2006, following a 0-0 first round draw with Charlotte at Charlotte, N.C. (5-4 on PK).
  • Duquesne, which was picked to finish tied for 10th in the A-10 preseason poll, ended up in a two-way tie for sixth with Davidson (11 points each) with a 3-3-2 record. DU earned the sixth seed by virtue of a tiebreaker.
  • Duquesne enters the A-10 Championship looking for its ninth win. The last time DU posted nine wins was in its first season under Chase Brooks (9-8-1 in 2013). Duquesne has posted nine wins just twice in the past 13 seasons (9-7-2 in 2009 is the other).
  • Duquesne, which scored just five goals in seven games in the abbreviated spring 2021 season, remedied that shortcoming to become one of the most dangeous teams in the A-10 this fall. The Dukes enter the A-10 Championship with 30 goals in 16 games. DU’s 1.88 goals per game average ranks second among conference schools and is the third-highest goals/g. average in program history (highest since 2.05 in 2003).
  • Ryan Landry is the lone Duke on the current roster who as seen action in an A-10 Championship game. The graduate student played 44 minutes as a freshman in DU’s 4-0 loss to Fordham at Davidson, N.C. in 2016. He had a pair of shots on goal in that match.
  • Duquesne, in its 27th season as a program, enters the A-10 Championship 205-219-57 all-time and 108-118-24 in Atlantic 10 regular-season play.

SEASON NOTES

  • The 2021 Dukes (7-0-1) are just the fourth team in program history to finish the home season without a loss joining the 2002 (7-0-2), 2006 (5-0-0) and 2011 (7-0-2) squads.
  • Two of Duquesne’s losses came on the road to nationally-ranked teams (at then-No. 3 Pitt and at then-No. 17 Kentucky) a third came at Power 5 Michigan State and a fourth also came on the road to a team, VCU, that was receiving votes in the Top 25 at the time of the match.
  • Duquesne (30 goals) has the second-highest scoring offense in the A-10 (1.88 goals/g.). The 30 goals are most by a DU team since 2014 (32).
  • DU’s 16.8 shots per game are its most since a school record 18.2 in 2002.
  • Maxi Hopfer, a member of the 2020 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, leads the Dukes with 27 points and 11 goals including braces against Saint Francis U, Canisius and La Salle.
  • Hopfer’s 11 goals were tied for the most in the A-10 through the regular season. The 11 goals are also tied for fourth-most in a season in DU history.
  • Hopfer, who has taken 40 shots in his past six games, ranks among the national leaders in shots per game (3rd at 4.73) and shots on goal per game (5th at 2.27).

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).

Glory on the Grass

Riverhounds MF Kenardo Forbes

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