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Virginia Commonwealth University

#LetsGoVCU
Men's Soccer Starting Lineup vs. UCF
0
VCU VCU (2-9-3, 2-4-1)
3
Winner Duquesne DUQ (9-3-2, 6-1-0)
VCU VCU
(2-9-3, 2-4-1)
0
Final
3
Duquesne DUQ
(9-3-2, 6-1-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
VCU VCU 0 0 0
Duquesne DUQ 2 1 3

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

RAMS DROP A10 CONTEST TO DUQUESNE ON THE ROAD

Score: Duquesne 3, VCU 0
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. / Rooney Field
Records: VCU 2-9-3 (2-4-1 A10), Duquesne 9-3-2 (6-1 A10)
 
THE SHORT STORY
VCU men's soccer's second-half offensive onslaught was unable to get past Sam Coss between the Duquesne goalposts as he made six saves in the final 45 minutes to preserve the Dukes' third consecutive shutout. The Rams fell 3-0 in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
 
PITCH-SIDE
  • Tied in shot attempts at 11 apiece, VCU led the contest with seven shots on goal to Duquesne's five
  • Bya Ndimubandi, who returned to the starting lineup, led the Rams with a pair of shots on goal
  • Both returning from injury, Deniss Hayes played 38 minutes in his 2026 debut and Sulaiman Abdul-Mateen made his first start of the season
  • Jameson Michel, Hakon Dagur Matthiasson and Roni Badler found the back of the net for Duquesne
  • Coss (6) and his defense combined for seven saves in the match, the second-most against the Rams this season
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Duquesne opened the scoring early, finding net in the seventh minute and doubling its lead in the 20th minute before allowing VCU to get a shot on net
  • The Rams entered the second half of play trailing 2-0, and Trevor Maloney made an outstanding save to kick off the final period, denying a top-shelf rocket off the boot of Cody Da to hold the deficit
  • VCU had its best attempt at halving the lead on a 76th-minute header from Ty Johnson which was deflected at the goal line by a Duquesne defender
  • The Dukes netted their final goal of the game in the 88th minute to shut down VCU's comeback hopes, winning 3-0
 
SCORING MOMENTS
7' | DUQ 1, VCU 0 – Jameson Michel; Jaxon Ervin, Steel Bayer
20' | DUQ 2, VCU 0 – Hakon Dagur Matthiasson; Ashwin Menon, Jameson Michel
88' | DUQ 3, VCU 0 – Roni Badler
 
QUOTABLE
"This is a tough place to come and play, and Duquesne is having a really good year and is in first place in the league for a reason. They got a quick goal in the first half against the run of play and then found another on a corner to put us in a hole. I was pleased with our reaction to start the second half and we created several good chances, but the keeper or a defender kept coming up with plays to keep us out. On a positive note, we were able to get both Suli and Deniss some minutes tonight for the first time this season and I was proud of the boys for continuing to fight and create chances. Unfortunately, the goal never came and they got a third with a few minutes to go once we made some adjustments to try and get even more aggressive. We'll wrap the regular season at home on Saturday and will do everything we can this week to give us the best chance at three points and see where that leaves us," Head Coach Dave Giffard said.
 
UP NEXT
VCU will host George Mason for its regular season finale at the VCU Athletic Village on Saturday, October 24 at 2 p.m. following a pregame Senior Day celebration. The game will feature free admission and will be streamed on ESPN+. More fan information on the Athletic Village can be found here.
 
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