Ben Deihl | sports editor

Duquesne women’s soccer fell against Loyola Chicago in a closely contested 2-1 match on Thursday. The loss was Duquesne’s first defeat at Rooney Field and took the Dukes to 4-3 in conference play.

“Our mantra is ‘never lose at home,’” defender Jayden Sharpless said. “We were a little bit defeated, but it was a minor setback. It was more eye-opening to lose at home.”

The game started off rapidly, as the Ramblers fired a shot on goal within the first minute of the match. Goalkeeper Ali Hughes maintained her composure, quickly collecting the low shot and resetting the pitch for the Dukes.

Duquesne made sure to respond to Loyola Chicago’s aggressiveness, prioritizing ball control and fast-paced pushes to pin the Ramblers in their own zone. Junior midfielder Kayla Leseck bulleted an identical shot in the third minute, but the low-center shot was once again easily controlled.

The Ramblers blitzed down the field to push another shot against Hughes just 30 seconds after Leseck’s.

The Ramblers were able to exploit Duquesne’s soft zone defense to keep the ball in their attacking zone, earning four throw-ins and a goal kick before the Dukes were able to clear the ball.

Both teams continued to fight for possession for the next couple of minutes until a drive started by Maya Matesa finally broke through into Loyola Chicago’s defensive zone. In the 11th minute, a chaotic throw-in turned scrum led to a foul on Loyola Chicago’s Maggie Schmidt against Mackenzie Muir, giving the experienced senior a penalty kick. Muir was able to knock it through with no issues, giving the Dukes an early 1-0 lead.

Dukes forward Kaitlyn Killinger was able to manipulate the Ramblers’ defense in a similar way to Leseck, finding gaps downfield on the sidelines to open up offensive drives for Duquesne.

Duquesne defender Eva LaVecchia found her in one such situation, and Killinger was able to rocket a shot that made Ramblers goalkeeper Allison Deardorff bobble the ball, and an awaiting Matesa was almost able to sneak the ball in. Deardorff was able to recover and fall on the ball, keeping the Ramblers deficit at one.

In the 37th minute, the Ramblers went on the attack, fresh off of a substitution to give their team new life. Zoe Hevey ripped a shot that was blocked before Hughes could corral it, but the ricochet landed right in front of Loyola Chicago forward Meghan Economos, who passed the ball left to Jadyn Harris, who was waiting in the box and got an easy goal in Hughes’ blind spot, netting the Ramblers’ first goal.

“We battled,” Duquesne Head Coach Jessica Giegucz said. “[Loyola Chicago] had a very good game plan against us, and it proved some adversity for us. I thought our team did well, at least with their physicality.”

Killinger continued to produce offensively for Duquesne, getting behind the defense and providing quick strikes, hoping to break the tie. She maneuvered past the defense before stepping on the brakes, putting her defender on the turf. Killinger’s subsequent shot missed just high.

Both teams continued to sub for the rest of the quarter in a mad dash to break the tie, but the score remained knotted at halftime. With the last goal, the Ramblers carried their momentum into halftime, sending another shot in the first minute of the second half, which was saved by Hughes. Killinger continued her offensive assault with a response shot, which Deardorff handled with ease.

Matesa tried to will her team to another goal, but tight press defense from the Ramblers consistently forced Duquesne into throw-ins, breaking their offensive fluidity and creating more opportunities to intercept passes.

Loyola Chicago was eventually able to flip the script, once again going on the attack midway through the second half. The Ramblers made sure to keep tight to each other for easy passes to dissect Duquesne’s zone, crowding the box and making it near impossible to keep track of all the bodies around.

Loyola’s Ella Skelton bounced a shot off the left post, which immediately careened to Emily Rossi, who was able to score on an unfortunate bounce for the Dukes. The score would be the last of the game, handing Duquesne their first home loss in a 2-1 defeat.

“Going into that game, we had a lot of confidence,” Muir said. “I think that was our downfall. We got a little complacent with where we were in conference and of how we were playing.”

Even with the setback on their home turf, Muir and the rest of the team still have their eyes set on the end of the season and the A10 playoffs looming in two weeks. The Dukes are concentrating on making history, and one loss hasn’t discouraged them.

“We really want a home playoff game,” Muir said. “That’d be the first time in over 10 years. That’s our goal, but right now, we’re taking it one game at a time.”

Ben Deihl can be reached at deihlb1@duq.edu