Another fierce Cross-Tahn Derby ends in 1-1 draw between Robert Morris and Duquesne

NCAA Men’s Soccer

Final: RMU 1, Duquesne 1

Match Stats

In a highly anticipated rivalry matchup, Duquesne traveled to Moon Township for their first road game of the season against Robert Morris.

A penalty filled affair trudged to the finish line with neither team gaining an advantage on the scoresheet, leading to a 1-1 draw. Marko Rasmussen scored his third goal of the season for the Dukes, while Nicholas Samways headed home the equalizer.

How It Happened

Duquesne wasted no time after the opening whistle as junior forward Marko Rasmussen potted the first goal of the contest just under three minutes into the match.

The Denmark native came into the day tied for the team lead in goals after a 2 goal performance against Bowling Green, and quickly put the Dukes up 1-0.

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Chippy play accompanied high octane presses for the remainder of the first half, but neither team was able to find much of a groove on offense— the Pittsburgh rivals only mustered three total shots on goal. The Colonial’s best chance of the half came when freshman Oscar Bech hammered a shot into the gut of goalkeeper Sam Coss.

A 1-0 scoreline followed the two sides into the locker room.

Coming out of the second half, it was RMU’s turn to strike early.

Just more than seven minutes in, Riley Cotton curled a corner kick to the head of Nicholas Samways. A flick into the far panel of the net evened the game at 1-1, leading to the Colonial bench mobbing Samways in the corner.

Despite a dominance of possession by RMU for the majority of the second half, Colonial goalkeeper Josh Lane had to turn away a sure goal for Hakon Dagur Mattiasson using his face with 22 minutes remaining.

The game ended in a 1-1 tie as neither team was able to break the deadlock, but the animosity between both teams didn’t end there.

After words were exchanged, senior defender Blaize Hardy picked up a red card for Duquesne and he will now miss their next match.

POST-MATCH QUOTES

Robert Morris Head Coach Jonathan Potter

• On the intensity of the rivalry: “Anytime Duquesne and Robert Morris are playing, it’s always a really feisty, hotly contested game. Got a lot of respect for Chase Brooks and his staff… It always brings the best out of both teams and we really had to compete today.”

• On fighting back after falling behind early: “The guys were just up for the challenge, especially after going a goal down pretty early. I was really proud of the way the guys fought back in the second half… The guys were really calm at halftime, and I’m glad we had a level head for the second half.”

• On keeper Josh Lane’s clutch face save: “He’s the heart and soul of the team. He’s an exceptional guy, great leader, highly talented kid. He was called upon to make one super big moment, and he did it. He’s a tough kid, so he’ll be okay.”

Duquesne Head Coach Chase Brooks

• On the match’s flow and physicality: “It was ugly. It was ugly from start to finish… Ultimately, days like today are tough. We should have done better; we didn’t handle some of the emotions very well, and that’s part of the learning process.”

• On Marko Rasmussen’s early goal: “It was a great start—not much else to say about it, really nice start. Marko’s class, and when he has a chance to impact, he can make a difference.”

• On areas for improvement going forward: “Everything, right? You’re always looking for perfection. We didn’t play our style today; we kind of got caught up in their style, which is a little bit more back-and-forth. We’ve got to make sure we get back to who we are.”

What’s Next

The match that Hardy will miss for Duquesne (2-0-2) will be at Detroit Mercy on Saturday at 4 p.m., an opponent that resides in the Horizon League with Robert Morris.

For the home side, RMU (2-1-1) will head to St. Bonaventure University on Friday as non conference play rolls along. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Nick Evans