Rowan DuBois | staff writer
Duquesne Women’s Soccer matched its best start in program history this week with two away victories over non-conference opponents, beating Saint Francis 2-0 on Thursday and beating Youngstown State 2-1 on Sunday.
The two wins improved the Dukes’ record to 6-1, their best record to start a season since 1998, and extends their winning streak to five, one away from tying the program-high winning streak of six.
Brianna Moore scored three of the four goals for Duquesne in the two matches. Moore scored early against Saint Francis in the 16th minute, which would be enough to secure the win for the Dukes. She then scored a brace against Youngstown, including a vital game-winner in the 76th minute.
Those goals put Moore second on the Dukes top-scoring list this season with seven, just behind Margey Brown’s eight, who scored Duquesne’s second goal against Saint Francis.
Both matches were decided by slim margins, despite the Dukes dominating the possession throughout each one. They also outshot both teams, outshooting Saint Francis 19-4 and Youngstown 27-7. Duquesne couldn’t fully capitalize on the deficits, however, because of great goalkeeper play from both of their opponents. Saint Francis senior Emma Sawich achieved her career high in saves, registering 12 in the match, and YSU freshman Maya Naimoli recorded nine, the most in her short career so far.
Duquesne and Saint Francis took some time getting used to each other, as both teams struggled to settle the ball early. It was one of the first chances of the game that gave the Dukes their first goal in the 16th minute. Kayla Leseck and Maya Matesa combined to set up an opportunity for Moore, who took advantage with a clinical finish. The Duke defense dominated the rest of the half, not allowing a single shot from the Red Flash.
A second goal came in the 56th minute for the Dukes, as Brown found the net, assisted by Mackenzie Muir and Lindsay Krafchick. The goal marked Brown’s sixth consecutive game finding the back of the net. From that point on, the Dukes were able to stifle the Saint Francis attack and keep their third clean sheet of the season.
The win against Youngstown took a little more effort, but the Dukes started off strong, possessing the ball for the majority of the first half and getting their break from a corner kick in the 38th minute. The ball was lifted into a dangerous area by Libby Majka, landing in the six-yard box, and it was touched by multiple players before spilling into a pocket of space for Moore, who pounced on the chance and coolly slotted the ball in between defenders and into the bottom right corner. This goal allowed the Dukes to go into halftime with a lead.
Youngstown came out sharper in the second half, catching Duquesne off guard with a swift counterattack in the 57th minute. Taylor Berry received the ball on the left flank, taking on multiple defenders with quick dribbling moves as she darted into the box and played a well-placed cutback cross for Sara Felder, who tapped it in to tie the game.
Duquesne’s winner came via a deep cross in the 76th minute. Mackenzie Leeder picked up a loose clearance from the YSU back line, taking a couple of touches before releasing a deep cross into the box. A miscommunication from the Penguin center-backs allowed Moore to get in behind and release a right-foot shot past the keeper, hitting the bottom left corner.
This goal would be enough to keep the Dukes’ winning streak alive, as they fought to drain the rest of the time out of the game with a final score of 2-1.
The Dukes are yet to play an Atlantic 10 Conference game, but they will start off that portion of their season on Thursday when they travel to Richmond. Duquesne’s next home game will be on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Rooney Field, where they will face Davidson.