Hannah Davis | staff writer

Duquesne women’s soccer split their last two games before conference play opens, beating Youngstown State 4-0 before earning a gritty 2-2 tie against Eastern Kentucky. The two games close out Duquesne’s non-conference schedule, putting the Dukes at a 5-2-1 record.

Senior Maya Matesa once again stole the show for the Dukes, drilling two goals against the Penguins. Her scores came within one minute of each other right out of halftime, giving the Dukes a blazing start to the second half and a lead they would never relinquish.

“Maybe the first half was a little slow, but the second half we came to play,” Matesa said.

With the two nets, Matesa is now in first place for the most single-season goals in Duquesne history, tied with Lauren Bracco and Katie O’Connor at 10 scores. The star senior has continued her stellar 2025 campaign, leading the Dukes in goals, points, shots and shots on goal.

The win comes after a frustrating 1-0 loss to Bowling Green University the week before, dropping the Dukes to a 4-2 record. Both Duquesne losses came in the form of a shutout, further disgruntling the potent Duquesne offense. Matesa knew the team’s attitude needed to shift before heading into their next match.

“We came off a loss last game, so it was just stay positive, work with each other and have high energy,” Matesa said. “The whole team came out doing that, which was amazing.”

Matesa led what was an offensive onslaught all weekend, with the Dukes totaling 69 shots over the two games. Duquesne fired 30 shots off against the Penguins, with half of them being on goal. Matesa collected 11 shots (seven on goal) while also playing 81 minutes. Midfielder Jayden Sharpless was once again on the pitch for all 90 minutes, playing every minute so far this season.

Freshman Brynn Ramsey came off the bench against Youngstown State and recorded an assist, adding to Duquesne’s already impressive bench contributions with Reese Kershner’s goal to open scoring in the first half. The Dukes kept the pressure up regardless of who was on the pitch, helping Duquesne cruise to its third shutout win.

“I think throughout the game, we improved on any mistakes we had,” Ramsey said. “Overall it was a really good game. We had possession most of the time.”

The Dukes were unable to bring their shutdown defense down the Ohio River, playing to a 2-2 draw against Eastern Kentucky in Richmond.

Coming off of a win against Youngstown State, the Dukes came to fight. Duquesne started off strong in the bluegrass state, scoring two goals in the first 30 minutes of the match.

The first goal was scored by senior Brianna Moore in an epic move. As Eastern Kentucky’s Jordan LeVasseur was looking to clear, Moore rushed the box to hit the back corner of the net only 18 minutes into the game.

Duquesne’s second goal was courtesy of senior Mackenzie Muir, who splashed a corner kick seven minutes later. The Dukes entered halftime with a padded 2-0 lead and a 19-to-6 shot advantage over the Colonels.

During the second half, Eastern Kentucky came back with a bite as senior midfielder Maddie Murphy scored 17 minutes after half. The Colonels fought hard, eventually breaking through again in the 74th minute, knotting the score at two goals each.

Despite the draw, Duquesne still had an aggressive offense. The Dukes rained 39 shots against Eastern Kentucky, creating a new season high. Senior leaders Matesa, Moore and Muir combined for 25 of the Dukes’ total shots, with 13 of them being on goal. Head Coach Jessica Giegucz’s offensive mindset seems to be sticking with the Dukes, with the team averaging 23.8 shots per game.

The Dukes open up A-10 play with a Sunday matinee matchup against Richmond on Sept. 21 at Rooney Field. Duquesne then heads to our nation’s capitol to face George Washington on Sept. 25.

Hannah Davis can be reached at davish11@duq.edu