Keira Kusmaul & Noah Fries | staff writer & sports editor

The Duquesne men’s soccer team won a thriller on the road against George Mason Saturday, going down in the 72nd minute before finding the back of the net twice late to seal the victory.

The Dukes were able to bounce back after two tough 1-0 losses last week to get three points in the standings and improve to 5-2-2 overall and 2-1-0 in conference play. With the win, Duquesne improved to 5-0 all-time at George Mason Stadium.

The game felt like a bloodbath throughout, with a total of 24 fouls in the match leading to seven yellow cards and two red cards — both of them against the Patriots late in the second half.

Neither team could get anything going in the first half, as both teams were able to put two shots on frame but were unable to find the back of the net.

A foul on Duquesne goalkeeper Sam Coss in the box gave the Patriots a penalty kick in the 72nd minute. Sophomore forward Jaime Godinho was initially stopped by Coss, but the ball then spun into the net to give George Mason a 1-0 advantage.

Just five minutes later, the Dukes were able to take advantage of being a man up after George Mason’s first red card. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Jameson Michel split the defense and found redshirt senior defender Ashwin Menon, who buried a right-footed shot into the lower-right corner of the net to knot the score at one.

Godinho received his second yellow card of the game in the 83rd minute, forcing George Mason to finish the match with just nine players. With this massive advantage, Duquesne was able to capitalize in the 88th minute.

Junior forward Roni Badler put a cross into the box to junior defender Ofek Sasson, who buried the game-winner with a sliding lunge that snuck by the Patriots goalkeeper. The goal was the first of Sasson’s career, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Dukes.

The Dukes will come back to Rooney Field for a match against Dayton Saturday after wrapping up the three-game road trip.

The Duquesne women’s soccer team tied with George Washington in the Dukes’ second Atlantic 10 home match of the season at Rooney Field Sunday afternoon.

Duquesne hosted Youth Day, with the kids in attendance getting the opportunity to get autographs from the squad after the game.

Both teams had several scoring chances, but the goaltending was the real highlight of the match. Senior keeper Ali Hughes made eight saves, just one shy of her career-high nine saves at VCU Sept. 27.

Hughes made multiple key saves in one-on-one opportunities, including one on George Washington’s leading scorer, freshman forward Sophia Michel.

“[Hughes] just is a sponge, and learns everything to the best of her ability,” Head Coach Jessica Giegucz said. “She’s done a really good job of making really critical saves.”

One of these critical saves came a little more than halfway through the opening half. A quick give-and-go between junior forward Kalia Kau and senior forward Kate McGrath sent Kau hurtling toward the Duquesne goal with the defenders racing to get back.

Kau sent a well-placed shot toward the top half of the goal, which Hughes slammed to the ground. Although the second shot off the rebound went wide right, Hughes had recovered and was ready to make another stop if needed.

On the other side of the pitch, sophomore goalkeeper Jasmine Black was not as busy as Hughes was, facing only three shots on goal. However, Black made a crucial save in the final 15 minutes of the match to keep her clean sheet and keep her team in the game.

Accepting a pass in Duquesne territory, freshman forward Ella Zech drove up the middle of the field, virtually unchallenged by the defenders. Seizing the opportunity, she walloped a 25-yard shot toward the top middle of the goal. With a flying leap, Black tipped the ball over the crossbar with her right hand at the last second.

Both teams were solid defensively, but the Revolutionaries — who are currently tied for second in the A10 in goals scored — managed to put up 17 shots, while the Dukes attempted nine.

With the tie, Duquesne (2-0-2) is still undefeated in conference play and is ranked third overall in the A10; Giegucz and her squad have their sights set higher still.

“We have a lot of opportunities for players to come off the bench and create a spark,” Giegucz said. “I think as we continue to go into the next game, next set of games, we have to continue to rely on the whole team mentality.”

Keira Kusmaul can be reached at kusmaulk@duq.edu

Noah Fries can be reached at friesn@duq.edu