Duquesne W Soccer’s Matesa Recognized By Conference

A day after triumphing in 3-2 comeback fashion over Kent State, the Atlantic 10 Conference rewarded Duquesne Women’s Soccer senior forward Maya Matesa as she was named the conference’s offensive player of the week.

Matesa, a Lebanon, Ohio native, scored two of the three goals, including the game winner on a penalty kick, where she finished top middle. It was her second such goal as a Duke as the Jessica Giegucz era started in successful fashion.

“Receiving this award was a great way to start my final season at Duquesne and I couldn’t have received without this awesome team,” Matesa exclusively told PSN. “We showed a lot of grit in the game, and we worked hard for each other which is what gave us the end result we wanted. This team is so special, and I see big accomplishments for us in the future.”

Matesa’s contest was her 50th with Duquesne, 40 of which have been starts, and she ranks just outside of the top 10 in program with her 14 goals. She also is a point away from breaking into the top 10. Previously, she was part of the 2023 A-10 All Championship Team and has made the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in each of her three previous seasons.

Sunday’s win was Matesa’s fourth career brace and first since Oct. 27, 2023 at Massachusetts.

This is the second consecutive season in which a Dukes player has taken weekly honors as Margey Brown did the same.

Dayton goalkeeper Batoul Reda and Richmond freshman Emma Newman won defensive and freshman of the week respectively.

All three awards are nominated by each program’s Sports Information Directors and decided upon by the conference.

Duquesne will host its home opener Thursday afternoon when it takes on Saint Francis at 1 p.m on Rooney Field. The game can be seen on ESPN+.