Tristan Huyett | staff writer

Following a stunning loss to Robert Morris that ended their unbeaten start, the Duquesne men’s soccer team got back on track this week, picking up wins over George Washington and Mount Saint Mary’s in large part from Maxi Hopfer’s two game-winning goals.

The Dukes defeated GW 1-0 on Saturday in Washington in their first Atlantic 10 Conference match, on the backs of Hopfer and Zoltan Nagy. Hopfer scored an early goal that the Revolutionaries wouldn’t match, and Nagy recorded his third shutout of the young season.

Hopfer’s goal came five minutes into the contest, when he shook two defenders and buried the ball into the top-right of the net from the top of the box.

The action slowed after Hopfer’s goal as the Dukes did not attempt another shot until there were 10 seconds left in the half, when a missed penalty by Dakota Jonke was followed by a rebound attempt by Ashwin Menon that sailed over the net to close out the first 45 minutes.

After allowing a season-high three goals in his last game against Robert Morris, Nagy was back to form as he stifled GW, stopping all four shots on goal that came his way. With 26 seconds remaining in the game, he smothered a low lining shot from Ben Hissrich to seal the game for Duquesne.

The Dukes returned to Rooney Field after a 18-day absence on Tuesday, where they defeated Mount St. Mary’s 2-1, with goals coming from Hopfer and forward Ali Nasser.

The game was not as close as the 2-1 score might suggest, as the Dukes maintained possession of the ball for most of the game, with MSM only attempting two shots in the first half and neither of them being on goal.

“It’s a whole collective defensive effort to keep the ball away from Nagy,” said Duquesne Head Coach Chase Brooks. “[Nagy] is one of the best in the country at shot stopping, and he’s got their back, and we have his.”

The Dukes frequently found themselves with opportunities to score in the first half but could not find the back of the net, as the Mountaineers played very deep defensively, making it hard for the Dukes to have enough space to attempt clean shots. The game went into the half scoreless.

Coming out of the break, the Dukes kept the pressure on. Soon after play resumed, Jack Rhead unleashed a shot that careened off the right post, just barely missing the net.

Then, with 25 minutes left to play, Rhead intercepted a pass and got the ball to Bendix Bennetzen, who found Nasser, who then sent a frozen rope over the keeper’s head and into the back of the net, putting the Dukes ahead 1-0. Nasser’s goal was the perfect representation of the chemistry and effort that the team has shown all season.

“We train all week for just 90 minutes of success,” Nasser said. “The buildup of getting that one shot, is 50 shots all week, missing 45, just for that one shot to get on target and get a goal. Hard work does pay off in the end, we worked all week to get this [win], and we did.”

Though it felt like one goal was all the Dukes needed, that proved to be false, as a picturesque cross to MSM’s Junee Lee took everyone at Rooney Field by surprise. Nagy was unable to stop the headed shot, and seemingly out of nowhere, the game was tied at one, ending Nagy’s chance for a second-straight shutout.

With just five minutes left to play, it seemed the Dukes were headed for their second draw of the season.

Enter Maxi Hopfer.

With just over a minute remaining, Hopfer broke away with the ball, and MSM could only watch as he raced by two defenders and zipped a low-lining kick by the keeper and into the bottom of the net, putting the Dukes ahead 2-1, a lead they held to secure the win.

“You need your big-time players to step up in big moments, and I think that’s what you saw tonight,” Brooks said. “Ali’s strike was absolutely top notch, that was a fun one to see, and Maxi’s just one of those guys, he’s just clutch.”

Hopfer is not afraid to step up in big moments, something he has shown time and again during his time with the Dukes.

“Pressure belongs in car tires,” he said through a grin. “We don’t feel pressure out there, that’s what we train for every day, this is what the fun is about.”

With two wins this week, the Dukes moved to 6-1-1 on the season. Their next game is Saturday at Rooney Field against Saint Joseph’s, beginning a five-game A-10 stretch for Duquesne.