Tristan Huyett | staff writer

As the Duquesne men’s soccer team emerged from the locker room and onto Rooney Field tied at zero with Fordham after a competitive first half on Saturday, there was reason for optimism. They had outshot Fordham 5-2 and had not allowed a shot-on-goal in the first 45 minutes. They were greeted by loud cheers from the home supporters, as the Dukes looked to advance to the second round of the Atlantic 10 Championship.

However, 30 minutes later, as Fordham’s Daniel D’Ippolito’s third goal of the half found the back of the net, you could hear a pin drop at Rooney, as any chance of a miracle comeback – which was already slim – was squashed.

D’Ippolito’s hat trick would make the 3-0 difference on Saturday night, and Duquesne’s aspirations of winning their first A-10 tournament ended, as did their season. Despite at one point being ranked and bowing out in the first round, Duquesne Head Coach Chase Brooks was still pleased with the season his team played.

“The season as a whole was a success,” Brooks said. “We still, as a program, have to continue to take strides on this level. There’s a lot of programs in the A-10 that are used to winning championships and competing in A-10 tournaments, and we’re actually still a very young program when it comes to that.”

The loss marked the first defeat at Rooney Field for the Dukes since October of 2023. Their consecutive home winning streak was snapped last week after a draw versus the same Fordham team, whom Brooks credited for the way they played in the rematch.

“You could see that Fordham brought the edge, Fordham brought the intensity,” Brooks said. “I think that we just expected the fact that it was Rooney Field, we were just going to show up and be better, and in some ways we were, but in the ways where it really counted obviously we weren’t.”

Brooks also credited D’Ippolito, far and away Fordham’s leading scorer, for his play.

“Their special player was exceptional tonight,” Brooks said. “Sometimes that’s just the difference on nights like tonight.”

When the horn finally sounded at the game’s conclusion, a visibly emotional Duquesne squad embraced one another, and then turned to face the bleachers that housed the fans who cheered them on for the entire season and returned the favor, thanking them for their support.

The Dukes were powered this season by strong leadership from its nine upperclassmen, who Brooks was especially appreciative of after the game.

“I thank the seniors,” Brooks said. “They’ve done so much for the program to help elevate it to where it is now, and that platform is something we just have to continue to build on.”

While he knows the train must keep rolling, Brooks took a moment to reflect on this season’s team, and everything they brought to the program on and off the field.

“I’d say [the 2024 team] is one of the more fun ones for sure,” Brooks said. “I had a lot of fun this season coaching these guys, it was a joy to show up to work every day and work with them. We knew we were going to get the effort from them every time we showed up, it was just a lot of fun.”

With a large number of players not returning to the Bluff next season, Brooks emphasized the importance of returning players stepping up into leadership roles this offseason.

“We talk a lot about leadership,” Brooks said, “and then we’ll continue to talk about high standards and pushing [each other]. The platform has been set, the stage has been set, now it’s about who’s ready to step into that, and continuing to recruit in the right guys that can help build on the momentum that we’ve had over the last few years.”

Brooks expects that momentum to keep rolling into next season, something he attributes to the culture that has been established over the past seasons.

“It’s kind of been just a collection of talent coming together with [the upperclassmen] at the forefront,” Brooks said. “They helped turn this program in the right direction from a culture standpoint, we’ve had talent here for years, but that culture has been fantastic.”

Though their season ended on Saturday, the Dukes were awarded a small amount of celebration on Wednesday, as Maxi Hopfer was named to the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 First Team. Goalkeeper Zoltan Nagy was named to the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Second Team, Bendix Bennetzen to the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Rookie Team, and Jaxon Ervin, along with Hopfer, was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team.

The Dukes ended the 2024 season with a record of 11-4-2, including a 5-2-1 record in conference play, and had one home loss overall. Hopfer ended the season as the Dukes leading scorer, with 19 points by way of seven goals and five assists. Nagy started every game in goal and finished with 72 saves and a .809 save percentage.