Return Of the Mac: Duquesne Women’s Soccer Gets Clean Sheet In Sunday Triumph

There is an old adage that the best comes to those who wait, and Duquesne Women’s Soccer captain Mackenzie Muir waited a long time, 23 games to be exact, to see a ball go in the back of the net off of her foot.

Sunday afternoon’s contest against Bowling Green would be that day.

It was the 67^th minute and a 50-50 ball found more of the head of a BGSU player and came to Muir, who put the ball away, scoring her first goal since Oct. 23, 2022. It was her first tally ever at Rooney Field.

Muir’s goal was insurance in a 2-0 victory over the previously unbeaten Bowling Green side Sunday afternoon.

“They were going to be a very good team, and they have a specific way of playing,” Duquesne coach Al Alvine said of the opposition. “It was going to be a challenge for us, but we came out, had a gameplan, stuck to it and they did well.”

67′@muirmackenzie1 keeps the Dukes in the lead in the second half!

DUQ 2, BG 0

#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/y4LY9kATFC

— Duquesne Women’s Soccer (@DuqWSoccer) August 25, 2024

Duquesne’s defensive momentum earned from the Pitt game carried over a week later as the Dukes did not concede any shots to the Falcons in the opening 45 minutes.

Alvine’s intent was to get pressure on Bowling Green’s center back and when the Falcons countered, the Dukes opted to respond by cutting pressure higher up the field, which resulted in some success.

Speaking of success, Margey Brown continued her fast start to the season, putting Duquesne on top with her fifth goal of the season.

The play was made possible by junior captain Lindsay Krafchick, reading and intercepting a Bowling Green pass. A give-and-go with Maya Matesa, which drove the ball to the eight-yard line where Krafchick fired a pass into the box.

When a Bowling Green player, undershot the pass, Brown found plenty of space and fired under goalkeeper Madison Vukas’s legs.

Brown, the reigning Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week, now leads the conference with her five goals and 11 overall points.

27′ @margey_moo312 gets one in the back of the net for the Dukes!

DUQ 1, BG 0#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/GAmtrXc1td

— Duquesne Women’s Soccer (@DuqWSoccer) August 25, 2024

Also, of note for Duquesne in this contest is that this game served as junior defender CeCe Scott’s first collegiate start, and she played the entire 90 minutes.

Of Duquesne’s nine goals thus far in the season, six of them have had at least one assist.

“We spent a lot of time doing combination work and actually playing the game, so putting them in as many game situations as possible,” explained Alvine. “That’s the hope that it leads to more of those combinations and more people getting involved in goals which is great to see.”

Duquesne now has two weeks before its next game, a senior day tilt Sept. 8 against Kent State which will kick off at 1 p.m. Ally Campanella, Mackenzie Leeder and Maddy Neundorfer are the program’s lone listed seniors.

Neundorfer is fresh off her 11th career clean sheet, which is two away from tying her for third place with three Dukes on the program’s all-time list.

Though two weeks is a way away, Alvine feels that his team is in a good spot and there is certainly time to fine tune things, namely finishing and decision making in the final third.

He did express a satisfaction with organization in the back and a consistently improving communication, which led him to believe his ladies are at a “pretty good trajectory”.

“We’re scoring a lot of goals right now, so that’s the good thing,” wrapped up Alvine. “We take just as much pride in not conceding any goals. Our first home game here we conceded a couple of goals that we’d really like to have back so to come out today and keep it at zero was a big accomplishment for us.”

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

Duquesne starters (2-1-0)– Maddy Neundorfer (GK), Jayden Sharpless, Margey Brown, Lindsay Krafchick, Hailey Longwell, Mackenzie Leeder, CeCe Scott, Eva LaVecchia, Mackenzie Muir, Brianna Moore, Maya Matesa

Bowling Green starters (2-1-0)– Emme Butera, Lexi Czerwien, Emily Hollar, Brynn Gardner, Jaden Frigerio, Lizzie Bultynck, Taylor Green, Haley Wolf, Isabelle Gilmore, Emma Stransky, Madison Vukas (GK)

Goals– Margey Brown DUQ (5^th, 18’), Mackenzie Muir DUQ (1^st 68’)

Cautions– None

Shots– Bowling Green 12 (5 on frame) Duquesne 11 (6 on frame)

Corners– Bowling Green 5 Duquesne 3

Fouls– Duquesne 11 Bowling Green 6