Ben Deihl | staff writer

Duquesne men’s soccer dominated Mount St. Mary’s offensively Thursday afternoon en route to a 2-0 victory that kept the Dukes undefeated in their 2026 campaign.

“The guys did really well today,” Duquesne Head Coach Chase Brooks said. “Bend, don’t break is an idea that’s going to follow you every single game. [It was] a really good team result.”

Dukes forward Cody Da broke the match open in the 59th minute after being left alone in the far right corner. As the push started, midfielder Miles Imparato found Da alone next to the home bench.

Da caught Mountaineers goalie Ryan Collins underpositioned as he crashed to the right side of the goal to defend his strong side post. Da rolled the ball past him and buried it in the back left corner, giving the Dukes a 1-0 advantage after a scoreless first half.

Now a senior on the Bluff, the net was Da’s first of his career at Duquesne. He made sure to relish the moment with a smooth backflip to celebrate the milestone.

“It’s been a long time,” Da said. “Glad to get one in the bowl.”

Da finished the match with three shots, helping Duquesne to a 20-shot performance, with five of them on target. In a match with so much offensive production, Da made sure to keep his mentality straight.

“Playing striker, you’ve got to have a goldfish memory,” Da said. “You miss one chance, mess up, you’ve got to forget about it right after the next play.”

Duquesne was on the attack from the start, consistently putting full-pitch pressure on the Mountaineers. The Dukes had a handful of blocked shots within the first 20 minutes of play, including a cross-pitch pass from forward Marko Rasmussen to midfielder Jaxon Ervin, which was blocked at the last second by a Mountaineers defender.

Dukes midfielder Pepo Bravo had multiple clean looks at the goal in the first half, but missed his first two shots high and wide right before getting his third on goal, although it was blocked.

With the constant offense from Bravo, Rasmussen and defender Sergios Feneridis, the Mountaineers were unable to muster consistent offensive possessions to put the pressure back on Duquesne. In the first half, Mount St. Mary’s was outshot 9-2.

The Dukes emphasized getting set pieces and kept the ball in The Mount’s defensive zone for the majority of the game. Duquesne’s defenders played high to push the midfielders and forwards up the pitch, giving them leverage in their positioning.

“The guys are bought in,” Brooks said. “They understand the method that we’re looking for. They understand our tactics and principles. They’re willing to sacrifice for each other.”

Da’s 59th-minute goal set the tone for the second half of play, where Duquesne outshot The Mount 11-4. Like Da, defender Ashwin Menon consistently found himself open in the corners, helping churn Duquesne’s offense and set up corner kicks.

Duquesne’s offense became so overwhelming for the Mountaineers they started to play six defenders across the back line during the second half, being forced to slow the Duquesne attack rather than trying to level the playing field.

With under a minute left in the game, midfielder Jameson Michel and Ervin found themselves in a two-on-one breakaway, where a clean Ervin assist set up Michel to double Duquesne’s score and bury the Mountaineers for good.

One of Duquesne’s greatest advantages came from their roster depth. The Dukes fielded nine different subs, often in whole line changes reminiscent of hockey or basketball. Five of Duquesne’s subs played 40-plus minutes, with defender Ofek Sasson playing 50.

“It’s vital,” Brooks said of having an extensive bench. “Division I soccer is survival of the fittest. You’ve got to have a deep roster.”

For the players on the roster, having such high integration means they can become closer to one another and bond over playing time, discover different techniques and maintain a “next man up” mentality.

“I love the guys,” Da said. “Everybody’s super supportive of each other. We all want to see each other win.”

The Dukes completed their opening three-game homestand with a record of 2-0-1, tying their first match against Lafayette before blanking Bowling Green and Mount St. Mary’s. Duquesne had yet to concede a goal this season, with goalkeeper Sam Coss contributing eight saves.

“We’re so committed and we feel like this is a year where we can really make something happen and go far,” Da said.

“[We] come out hard and fight every single game, knowing every single game matters, every game is important.”

Duquesne’s first road test kept them within city limits, taking on Robert Morris Sunday and battled to a 1-1 draw. The tie keeps the Dukes undefeated through four games (2-0-2). Rasmussen buried a shot in the third minute for his third goal of the young season, but the Colonials found the equalizer in the 53rd minute.

The Dukes face another road battle before coming back to Rooney Field, as the squad will face off against Detroit Mercy Saturday in Detroit.

Ben Deihl can be reached at deihlb1@duq.edu