Ben Deihl | sports editor

Duquesne Men’s Soccer just completed an exhilarating start to their season, bottling up Seton Hill 3-0 before earning a gritty 2-2 draw against Robert Morris.

The Dukes impressed the orientation crowd with a complete shutdown of Seton Hill in their first game of the season, limiting them to just three total shots, compared to Duquesne’s 24. Eight of those shots came within the first 25 minutes of the match, and the Dukes found the back of the net twice before halftime.

Freshman Hákon Dagur Matthíasson impressed in his season debut, scoring Duquesne’s first goal and collecting an assist on another.

The Dukes are loaded with young talent this year, with Matthíasson leading the pack of standout freshmen. Alex Posada and Adrian Rosario held up the backfield for the Dukes, both flashing their defensive and communication skills in their first game on the Bluff.

All three goals scored by the Dukes came from a different scorer. Sophomore captain Bendix Bennetzen emphasized how important a team mentality is this season and how impressive freshman players like Matthíasson have been.

“We’re very pleased as a collective, as a group. These new guys have come in and done a very good job.”

The team’s mentality for the season has been focusing on being a collective, not just one person or a couple of stars.

Head coach Chase Brooks has made sure to emphasize a team mentality to his young squad, and it seems to be sticking early on.

Duquesne jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead thanks to the early impression of Matthíasson, along with a nice shot from Jaxon Ervin, who got to score on his birthday.

Junior Tyler Kato iced the game in the 85th minute with an unassisted goal, burying the Griffins for good.

The Dukes had a shaky start against in-city rival Robert Morris, falling behind 0-2 in the first half. The Colonials came out of the gates swinging, playing tight defense and not being afraid to foul.

Early on, Duquesne struggled with the Colonials’ closing speed and aggressive nature, allowing two goals in eight minutes before the 30-minute mark.

“They did make us a little frustrated,” Ervin said. “But in the second half we were able to move the ball more, pin them in their own end and eliminate that kind of defense.”

The Dukes also dealt with a multitude of injuries, losing captain Ashton Jell midway through the first half to a lower leg injury. Bennetzen and standout Posada also went down with injuries, but were able to stay in the game. Regardless of injuries, this Dukes squad is prepared for anything an opposing team might throw at them.

“We’re a close family,” Ervin said. “We’re together every single day. Everyone’s ready to step up. Our next guy up mentality is what our coach preaches to us, and we’re all happy for each other when we get that call up.”

In the first half, Robert Morris fouled Duquesne 12 times and drew a yellow card. The relentless defense rattled the Dukes offense, making them commit three offside penalties.

Frustration was mounting for Duquesne just as Dakota Jonke played savior of the first half with a bullet of a free kick, giving the Dukes some momentum entering a much-needed halftime.

“It was a moment of reflection,” Brooks said about talking to his team at the half. “Talking about how can we limit those opportunities in the future and put our body on the line, how can we sacrifice more in those moments? You’ve got to do the little dirty things that allow you to play the way you want to.”

The second half ended up as a defensive slugfest, with the Colonials content playing passively and protecting their one goal lead.

The Dukes made astounding halftime adjustments, taking a page out of Robert Morris’ book with tight, aggressive defense and keeping the ball in the Colonials’ defensive zone.

Duquesne only allowed one shot through the entire second half after allowing seven in the first 45. Roni Badler finally broke through the defensive stalemate in the 80th minute, assisted by Jonke and Mathieu Brick.

Both teams tried desperately to break the 2-2 knot in the last 10 minutes, but neither could break through.

The last two minutes became a mad scramble as Bennetzen and Grant McIntosh led Duquesne on a last push to try and break the tie, to no avail. The game ended 2-2, giving the Dukes their first draw of the young season.

Ben Deihl can be reached at deihlb1@duq.edu