The Basics

• Score: VCU 1, Duquesne 0
• Records: VCU (4-6-1, 2-0-0), Duquesne (5-6-0, 0-2-0)
• Location: Rooney Field – Pittsburgh, Pa.
• The Short Story: Freshman Julia Suarez scored her fourth goal of the season as VCU defeated Duquesne in Atlantic-10 Conference competition in Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Rams aggressively attacked the ball all afternoon and controlled procession throughout the match. The defense was stingy and made it difficult for the Dukes to create anything in front of the net. The win is VCU's third straight and second in a row against a conference rival.

How It Happened

• Suarez hit the crossbar in the first half, but did not miss in the second. The freshman made a move past a Duquesne defender and rifled a 30-yard blast into the right side of the net for the lead.
• The Rams almost added another score off of a Suarez corner late in the match. The ball bounced around several times in front of the net, but VCU was unable to add some insurance.
• Moments later, Amanda Hallesjo almost scored her first goal of the season, but missed wide right.
• Hallesjo and the defense had a strong outing, shutting down the Dukes' attack from the first whistle.
• Duquesne had a chance to tie the match on a free kick with three minutes remaining on the clock, but Emma Kruse made the save and sealed the win.

Quotable

• "It was a great weekend for our team. To open A-10 play with two wins on the road is a huge step in the right direction. Our win today was a team effort all around with a bit of brilliance from Julia to give us the goal we needed. We are also super pleased to keep a clean sheet on the day. We'll travel home and get back after it this week to prepare for Fordham and Dayton." - Head Coach Lindsey Martin
• "To have a win in the bag from Thursday helped us for sure. Even though we're not used to playing on turf, we managed to do it as well as we could. I think we definitely were the better team today. It wasn't our prettiest performance today, but it was a team effort and Julia's goal was amazing. Sharon did a good job as always switching the point of attack and made us not as predictable. Megan Dell was a key aspect to our midfield as she won a lot of the 50/50 balls. Overall, it was a great weekend for us with six points earned. Could not be much better than that, but now we're looking forward to next weekend as we take on Fordham and Dayton at home in Richmond." - Amanda Hallesjo

Up Next

• VCU returns to action Thursday, October 8^th, as they host conference foe Fordham in a battle of the Rams. Game time is set for 7 p.m.