Duquesne (1-0), coming off a 1-0 season-opening win at Michigan on Thursday, heads to Buffalo to face Canisius (0-1) on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 1:00 pm at Demske Sports Complex (ESPN+).
This is the home opener for the Golden Griffins, who started their season with a 4-0 loss at Cleveland State on Thursday.
Torge Witteborg’s first career goal (37′) powered the Dukes to their first win over a Power 5 team since 2003 on Thursday.
DU will be looking to open 2-0 for the first time since 2013 (4-0 in Chase Brooks‘ first season as head coach). The Dukes, who went 2-7-1 on the road last year, are looking to post back-to-back road wins for the first time since 2019.
This is the second of three consecutive road games for the Dukes. It is the first time in school history that DU is opening with three in a row on the road.
THE SERIES VS. CANISIUS
- Duquesne leads the series 6-4.
- In matches played in Buffalo, Canisius leads 3-1.
- DU has won four of the past five meetings, including the last three in a row. The Dukes have outscored the Golden Griffins 6-0 in the past three meetings.
- Last year the Dukes, behind six points from Maxi Hopfer (57′ & 63′ and two assists), cruised to a 4-0 win over the Griffs at Rooney Field. Nate Dragisich (27′) and Zach Mowka (50′) also scored for Duquesne which outshot Canisius 22-10. DU keeper Domenic Nascimben turned away six shots in posting a clean sheet.
- This is DU’s first visit to Canisius since Oct. 3, 2008 (a 5-3 Canisius win).
- Canisius has won the past two at home vs. the Dukes, with DU’s lone win at Canisius coming on Sept. 15, 1997 (3-0).
- Duquesne head coach Chase Brooks is 2-0 vs. Canisius at DU.
- Canisius is in its first season under head coach Michael Tanke. Tanke spent the last five seasons with the Empire United MLS Next development program in Rochester, NY Tanke, who was a four-year letterman at Rhode Island, has additional Atlantic 10 ties as he spent three-years as an assistant at Dayton (2014- 16).
LAST GAME
- Torge Witteborg’s goal in the 37th minute held as Duquesne posted its first win over a Power 5 team since 2013 by a 1-0 score at Michigan on Thursday.
- Nate Dragisich and Cameron Territory assisted on the game’s lone tally.
- The Dukes, who were outshot 21-8, made most of their attempts by placing seven shots on net (to six for UM).
- Domenic Nascimbenplaying behind a solid defensive front, stopped six shots in posting the shutout.
- DU was outshot 12-1 in the second half, but only two of the Wolverine attempts were on target.
- The Dukes used 17 field players in the win.
PRESEASON HONORS
- Maxi Hopfer and Nate Dragisich were both named to the 12-man A-10 Preseason All-Conference Team.
- Hopfer was also named as one of United Soccer Coaches’ 30 Division I “Forwards to Watch.”
- Duquesne was picked to finish 7th out of 14 teams in the Atlantic 10 preseason coaches poll. The top eight regular season finishers qualify for the Atlantic 10 Championship.
TEAM NOTES
- DU enters the 2022 season without a loss in its past eight home games (7-0-1).
- The Dukes ranked 15th nationally in shots/g. (15.47) and fifth in shots on goal/g. (7.26) last season.
- Duquesne’s 1.84 goals/g. last season (35 goals/19g.) was the third-highest average in program history.
- DU (10-7-2 last year) is looking to post back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time since 2005 & 2006.
- Duquesne’s captains for 2022 are M Nate DragisichF Maxi HopferGK Domenic Nascimben and D Torge Witteborg.
QUICK HITS
- Duquesne is in its tenth season under head coach Chase Brooks. Brooks has led the Dukes to four Atlantic 10 Conference tournament appearances (2013, 2015, 2016 & 2021), including an A-10 Championship game appearance – the program’s first since 2002 – last season.
- The Dukes return eight starters including: M Harper CookM/F Nate DragisichD Jack EmanuelM Ryan
- Goodhew, F Maxi HopferF Zach MowkaD/M Tom Tzabari and GK Domenic Nascimben.
- Hopfer, a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Southeast Region and First Team All-Atlantic 10 performer in 2021, leads the Dukes with 13 career goals. The Styria, Austria native, who made the A-10 All-Rookie team as a freshman, led the Dukes in points (28) and goals (11) last season.
- Hopfer led the Atlantic 10 in shots and shots on goal per game. His 11 goals ranked second in the conference.
- In addition to its veteran core, DU has 16 newcomers – including 10 freshmen – on the 2021 roster.
- Incoming transfers include: D Anthony Harding (Pitt), Tate Mohney (Elizabethtown), Jesper Moksnes (Virginia), Cameron Territory (Western Illinois) and Christopher Vie Angell (UAB).
- Fourth-year junior M/F Nate Dragisichwho earned Second Team All-A-10 honors as well as a spot on the A-10 All-Championship Team in 2021, leads all returnees in career games played (44) and started (43).
- The Dukes return five multiple-goal scorers in Hopfer (11), Dragisich (5), Mowka (5), Goodhew (4) and Muck (2).
- Graduate student Domenic Nascimben has played every minute in net for the Dukes for the past two seasons (includes the abbreviated 2021 spring campaign). Nascimben, a native of Sydney, Australia, stopped 98 shots last year, which ranked fifth on DU’s single-season list and second nationally. His 5.16 saves/g. ranked 12th nationally in 2021.
- DU has been recognized by the United Soccer Coaches for its outstanding academic performance with a Team Academic Award (minimum 3.0 team GPA) 20 times in the past 23 years. No other Atlantic 10 men’s soccer program has been recognized more than Duquesne since the award was instituted in 1996.
- Duquesne produced at least one Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team member in eight of the past nine years including current roster members Nate Dragisich (2019), Maxi Hopfer (2020) & Jack Emanuel (2021).
CAREER LEADERS
(at Duquesne only)
Goals
Maxi Hopfer (13), Nate Dragisich (8), Zach Mowka (5), Ryan Goodhew (4), Logan Muck (3), Jayden Da (1), Jack Emanuel (1), Tom Tzabari (1), Torge Witteborg (1)
Assists
Nate Dragisich (13), Ryan Goodhew (7), Maxi Hopfer (6), Zach Mowka (5), Logan Muck (2), Ade Akinjogbin (1), Jayden Da (1), Jack Emanuel (1), Domenic Nascimben (1), Cameron Territory (1) Tom Tzabari (1)
Points
Maxi Hopfer (32), Nate Dragisich (29), Ryan Goodhew (15), Zach Mowka (15), Logan Muck (8), Jayden Da (3), Jack Emanuel (3), Tom Tzabari (3), Torge Witteborg (2), Ade Akinjogbin (1), Domenic Nascimben (1), Cameron Territory (1)
Games
Nate Dragisich (44), Domenic Nascimben (33), Logan Muck (26), Maxi Hopfer (25), Zach Mowka (24), Ryan Goodhew (23), Rodrigo Albayeros (20), Jack Emanuel (19), Tom Tzabari (19)
Logan Muck (62/27) played in 36 games with 21 starts at Evansville
Cameron Territory (46/38) played in 45 games with 37 starts at Western Illinois
Ade Akinjogbin (35/23) played in 20 games with 14 starts at Wofford
Harper Cook (32/18) played in 12 games with two starts at American
Rodrigo Albayeros (27/7) played in seven games at Florida Atlantic
2022 ATLANTIC 10 AWARD WINNERS
To come.