A relatively young Duquesne Women’s Soccer Team was building throughout the non-conference slate and with nearly a week between games before its Atlantic 10 opener against Rhode Island, it seems to have found something, namely a 2-1 victory over the Rams following Saturday afternoon’s contest.
“Resilient,” Duquesne coach Jess Giegucz stated. “Obviously went down a goal and came back. They worked really well together. We changed up kind of midway through and they did it really well. Really proud of them for coming out with a result.”
Duquesne was coming off a setback in its non-conference finale, in which it dominated possession and practically every facet of the game, but flinched twice, something Ohio made it pay for.
Even earlier on in the slate, the Dukes appeared to have a road victory against Youngstown State, but instead a challenging few minutes in run of play created a draw and also gave the Penguins some real opportunities to come away with a win.
These learning experiences helped compose this group into being able to close down its A10 opponent, a side which a season ago made the conference championship game.
“We definitely had to work hard to close out the game,” outlined Giegucz. “We’re relying a little bit on our experience right now and they’re starting to pull through and settle it down in those moments.”
Duquesne felt the pendulum swing with Anna Bundy’s goal, her first of the season coming as she read Kayla Leseck going out wide. Anticipating a pass, Bundy placed the ball in the back of the net, allowing the Dukes to strategize at halftime and make necessary adjustments.
This paid off when Jayden Sharpless scored her second penalty-kick goal of the season in the 59th minute.
The goals by Bundy and Sharpless represent scoring from both of Duquesne’s captains, showcasing leading by example translating on the scoreboard.
“It’s just very special to grow with a team and come out with a win the first (conference) game of the season,” Bundy beamed. “We’re all really happy and it’s really fun to win with your friends.”
According to Sharpless, Paige Kuisis got the game ball in Saturday’s win. There was a reason why Giegucz broke into a smile at just the mention of Kuisis’s name.
Sure, Sharpless scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick, but it was Kuisis that tracked down Lily De Jesus’s long ball and singlehandedly worked her way into the box where she was taken down. As Kuisis was on the run, her teammates were encouraging her to track the ball down and the noise only grew as she was able to make a play on it.
Kuisis’s runs were pivotal towards the match’s final outcome and why Duquesne earned three points.
“Paige did awesome today, we were really proud of her,” Giegucz outlined. “She certainly earned that PK and she just kept putting pressure on. She worked really hard through all of the chaos today. She’s a dynamic player, so certainly good for her.”
Duquesne’s comeback victory gives it some needed momentum, especially considering the next two conference contests are on the road beginning with Thursday’s tilt at Richmond, a meeting slated for 5 p.m.
“I think we had a lot of growth, especially through non-conference, we were just trying to figure out how to play with each other and we have a lot of young players on our team,” concluded Sharpless. “Today we figured out what we needed to do, what we do best in non-conference and brought it into conference.”
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