Flurry on the Bluff: Duquesne torches Bowling Green with three goals in six minutes

In a match defined by high-tempo transition play and 42 combined shots, Duquesne broke open a tight contest with a devastating three-goal surge over a six-minute span, pulling away for a 3-0 victory over Bowling Green on Sunday evening at Rooney Field.

For nearly 76 minutes, the two sides traded blows in an open, end-to-end battle. The visiting Falcons generated consistent pressing pressure, forcing the Dukes to lean into their defensive composure before finding their rhythm after halftime.

“The guys are working hard and doing the little things the right way,” head coach Chase Brooks shared following the win.

“You can have a bend-don’t-break mentality, and I think we showed that a little bit today. It was probably more transitional than we wanted it to be overall, but that’s an excellent team. They press well, and once we sorted out the tactics, you saw things open up in the second half.”

The dam finally broke in the 76th minute.

Following a Falcon attack that was turned away near the Duquesne box, redshirt senior captain Jaxon Ervin sparked a rapid counterattack down the middle. Ervin laid off a pass to Sergios Feneridis on the far wing, who pings a low cross toward the goal line. Redshirt sophomore Jameson Michel crashed the box and tapped it past BGSU goalkeeper Enzo Gil for his first goal of the season.

“Jameson has that workmanlike mentality,” Brooks noted on Michel’s impact. “You combine that with the technical and athletic ability he has—just beating guys off the dribble and keeping running—he’s absolutely fantastic.”

Before the home crowd had even finished celebrating, Duquesne doubled its cushion just 17 seconds later. Marko Rasmussen intercepted a central pass right off the restart, sliced through the Falcons’ back line down the right channel, and beat Gil with a precise finish to make it 2-0.

Rasmussen capped off his career night in the 83rd minute.

Off a long throw-in from Steel Bayer, the ball flicked around the six-yard box before a weak defensive clearance fell straight to Rasmussen, who buried the one-timer to complete a rapid six-minute brace.

Rasmussen matched his career goal output in a single half while tying for the team high with four shots (three on frame).

“Marko is a guy we’ve been trying to get on the field the last few years, and I think things have finally clicked for him and for us as a staff within our tactics,” Brooks praised.

“We’ve got the ability to find him in good areas, and when that happens, like you saw today, good things can happen. We knew we’ve got six attackers on our team in particular that are really strong and dangerous, so it’s just trusting the process and keeping it moving forward.”

While the offensive flurry grabbed the headlines, redshirt senior goalkeeper Sam Coss provided the defensive foundation. Facing 17 shots on the night, Coss racked up five saves to record his second consecutive clean sheet—becoming the first Duquesne goalkeeper to open a campaign with back-to-back shutouts since Domenic Nascimben in 2022.

With the win, Duquesne improves to 1-0-1 on the young season.

The Dukes wrap up their three-game season-opening homestand on Thursday, Aug. 24, hosting Mount St. Mary’s at 4:00 p.m. at Rooney Field as part of a doubleheader with the Duquesne women’s team.

(Special thanks to Zac Weiss and Jim Duzyk for contributing Chase Brooks’ quotes to this recap) 

Pittsburgh Soccer Now