Duquesne Men’s Soccer Poised To Turn High Bar Into A-10 Championship

When Duquesne Men’s Soccer Coach Chase Brooks spoke to graduate student forward Ali Nasser, he did so from a point of having established what he felt was a highly competitive level, which could use a further boost.

Nasser felt it was not just on him to go above and beyond but do so as a missing puzzle piece that can assist the Dukes in their collective quest for an Atlantic 10 Championship.

“Coach Chase basically said we want you to lift up the level and the level was already all the way up here,” he explained. “So I’m here as a missing puzzle piece to get that extra push and score some goals, get some assists with my brothers, put smiles on everyone’s faces and celebrate.”

Duquesne came into the preseason with an extra gear in many aspects, perhaps most importantly of which came in the fitness department.

Countless individuals on the roster took their summer and offseason work seriously and it allowed for a greater focus on the tactical aspects the team looks to implement.

“It shows growth and maturity,” offered Brooks. “We are a program that demands high standards, integrity and discipline and the team met us right where we needed to be. It allows us to get to training more fully quickly. We can get right into playing as soon as possible. We’ve always had a program where fitness is sought after but this year is a tick up from it, which is exciting to see.”

As Duquesne prepared for its Thursday evening season opener against Seton Hill it has been about combining those new pieces with the returning ones and the result has been a culture which Brooks believes has been one of his best in years and has led to agonizing decisions between starting 11, the 18 who will see the most time and the 22 who will travel.

As junior defender/midfielder Ashton Jell took that in, he could not help but smile, he knows the potential to put it all together could make this season a special one.

“The drive and motivation have always been there and with how close the program has been the last three years I really feel that this could be the year and that’s where the motivation comes from,” Jell stated.

A lot of the newer players are quite experienced in the collegiate level with Nasser, junior forward Dakota Jonke who consistently found the back of the net throughout spring and preseason play, while displaying an advanced skillset over six months with the program, graduate student forward Jack Rhead, redshirt sophomore defender Blaize Hardy who transferred from A-10 foe VCU, Mikey Morales who came from Tulsa, and redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Sam Coss who brings a winning tradition from Syracuse.

In terms of freshmen, the dynamic Denmark duo consisting of Bendix Bennetzen and Marko Rasmussen have “hit the ground running” as per Brooks.

Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference selection Maxi Hopfer leads the returning players. Once again adorning the captain’s sleeve, one of two on the team, Hopfer is healthy once again after recovering from a groin injury.

“I was looking forward to playing with him but unfortunately didn’t get the chance my freshman year and after my freshman year, that’s when he got hurt,” observed Jell. “I’m super excited to finally share the field with him. The talent is there and raises the level of everyone on the field.”

The other captain Christoffer Vie Angell also factors to help lead a back line which is intent on charting clean sheets this season.

Angell is joined by his friend Jesper Moksnes and someone look to be part of the defensive wall, while Jell also can be counted upon defensively, all protecting Zoltan Nagy who will return as the top goalkeeping option.

During the spring, a shortcoming this team possessed was an inability to communicate with the returning pieces seeking to combine forces with a few newcomers, but according to Nasser, the difference between then and now is “immaculate and it’s only going up.”

Preseason polls often are based on the previous season, with coaches having little to nothing to go off of. Ultimately Duquesne placed eighth in said poll, but Jell’s expectations are far higher than narrowly advancing to the Atlantic 10 Championship, he and the collective team are hungry for a ring.

“The sky is really the limit with this team,” Jell concluded. “We’ve shown it in preseason. The defensive block is solid, it’s going to be hard to score on us this season if teams do at all. We have high aims in terms of clean sheets and have a lot of goal scorers on this season. We have fire power up from and a good defensive unit and I feel that’s the combination that’s going to get us to the championship.”

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