Spiders Shut Out Duquesne In A-10 Opener

The University of Richmond women’s soccer team secured a statement win to open its Atlantic 10 conference campaign, downing Duquesne University 1-0 on Sept. 19.

Though snapping a five-game win streak with their first shutout loss of the season, the Dukes got rolling early with plenty of possession in the attacking third of the field, testing graduate goalie McKenna DalFonso with a handful of strikes from distance within the first eight minutes. 

Quickly facing a 1-to-4 shot deficit, the Spiders did not have to wait long for a furious midfield counterattack to translate into the only goal of the contest, as graduate forward Brigitte Bussiere received a ball along the right side of the 18-yard box. Bussiere’s flick onto the net rattled the post, but fell to junior midfielder Kiley Fitzgerald at the top of the six-yard box, who then shook off a defender to notch her first career goal.

Fitzgerald’s 11th-minute strike, the quickest goal conceded by the Dukes this season, seemed to come as a shock to DU, whose attack became increasingly conservative as the half wound down. Rather than try for close, high-quality opportunities, the Dukes opted for deeper shots with more passing to better retain possession, though DalFonso and the Spiders’ defense smothered these efforts.

A reinvigorated Dukes’ offense put UR’s back line to work straight out of halftime, as the quality of their shots steadily improved. Moments after fending off a one-on-one opportunity, DalFonso came up big with a diving punch on DU’s best scoring chance of the match, an intercepted clearance rocketed from just inside the 18-yard box.

Throughout the half, the Spiders would come similarly close to converting: junior forward Marisa Snee saw a wide-angle shot deflected onto the post, while a low corner shot from junior forward Anna Garcia nearly escaped the Dukes’ goalie. 

Despite a furious offensive press from DU in the waning minutes of the contest, the Dukes could only let fly a pair of wayward crosses in the face of strong defensive work from UR. In their last offensive push, DU swept a dangerous ball across the goal that nearly fell for a forward to poke home, were it not for a timely header from senior defender Sofia Mancino.

The Spiders moved to 3-3-2 with the win, with a 1-0 record in A-10 play in a strong bid to defy their predicted 11th-place conference finish. DU fell to 6-2, with an 0-1 record in A-10 play, being handed its first loss to an unranked opponent this season.

“It feels amazing [to win]... I know we didn’t have the best game against them last year, so it feels awesome to come out against them on top,” Fitzgerald said after the game. “Especially in our first conference game, it feels really good to be 1-0.”

A-10 action will continue for the Spiders this weekend, who will travel to the University of Dayton for a game at noon Sept. 22.