Will Stover | staff writer

The Duquesne men’s soccer team closed out their second of two road games with a 2-1 win over Detroit Mercy at Titan Field Saturday, earning their first road victory of the 2026 season and keeping the Dukes undefeated through five games with a record of 3-0-2.

Duquesne spent the majority of the first half dormant, having only two shots on goal before senior forward Cody Da broke the ice late. Junior defender Ofek Sasson lobbed a 50-yard ball over the top that met Da along the Titans’ back line. Da controlled the ball off his body and beat the keeper to secure his second goal of the season at 42:35.

The second half would be an entirely different story in favor of Duquesne.

The Dukes heated up early, with sophomore defender Alex Posada doubling the lead in the 54th minute. He quickly reacted to a blocked Luke Fiscus shot and buried the ball for his first goal of the year.
 

Detroit Mercy’s Daniel Kadiu sunk his first career goal in the 88th minute, but the Dukes held on and secured the victory — sporting a 14-4 shot advantage and winning 11-1 in corner kicks.

“We controlled the majority of the match, and to do that away from home is not easy, no matter the opponent,” senior defender Ashwin Menon said. “We can reflect on the moments we need to and learn from them as we prepare for our next match.”

The victory marks the third straight year the Dukes have gone undefeated through five games. Eleven players have already made their mark on the scoresheet, a testament to the program’s depth under Head Coach Chase Brooks.

Although the record looks pretty, Menon chooses to take it one day at a time.

“Road wins are always difficult in college soccer. We can always be critical of a few things like conceding a goal. But to put it simply, we got the job done and picked up three points.”

Saturday’s win fit neatly into the story the Dukes have been writing all season. Through five matches, the Dukes have yet to lose — and they’ve done it with balance rather than reliance on one or two players.

The team seems allergic to losing, and if the pattern holds, the group’s depth and composure under Brooks could be the foundation for the program’s best fall in recent memory.

The Duquesne women’s soccer team ended a three-game homestand with a disappointing loss Thursday, as the Dukes fell 1-0 to Toledo at Rooney Field. The loss brought the Dukes back to .500, dropping to 3-3 on the season.

The match was scoreless for more than an hour. Duquesne senior goalkeeper Ali Hughes even blocked a penalty kick from Toledo’s Mikaela Perkins in the 70th minute.

But Toledo wasn’t denied for long. Only three minutes later, Perkins rose over the defense to head home a corner kick from Atley Pittman — with the goal being the decider in the match.

Despite being outshot 17-8, the Dukes had their moments. Freshman midfielder Molly Kinsella nearly scored in the first half, only to see her shot blocked on the goal line. Senior midfielder Kayla Leseck had another look denied by the Rockets’ keeper moments before Toledo’s game-winner.

Hughes finished with five saves, including the penalty stop — however, her shutout streak that defined the start of the season came to an unfortunate end.

Head Coach Jessica Giegucz pointed to possession as the difference-maker.

“We just have to get better in possession,” she said after the match. “Kudos to Toledo. They came in with a great game plan and played very well. Possession and organization go hand-in-hand. When we give away possession and have to try and reorganize, it’s tough to get on the attack.

“We’re just constantly trying to reorganize. We’ll learn from our patterns by watching film and see if we can get better for Youngstown State.”

The loss broke a streak that had seen the Dukes win two of their past three games and is the first time the group has been shut out. With Youngstown State up Thursday, Duquesne will look to tighten up defensively and rediscover the offensive rhythm that carried it through the early stages of the season.

Will Stover can be reached at stoverw1@duq.edu