Megan Virgin settling in as Dukes' goalkeeper
Megan Virgin calling the shots in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Virgin finished the afternoon with five saves. The win marked Duquesne's first victory of the season, and the Dukes have a chance to grab another this weekend in North Carolina.
David Borne | Sports Editor
Everything lined up perfectly for Megan Virgin.
After wrapping up her second year at LIU Brooklyn, the Canonsburg native was looking to transfer to a school closer to home. Once she found that Duquesne was in the market for another goalie, the decision to continue her playing career on the Bluff was an easy one to make.
"It just seemed like the perfect fit," Virgin said. "[Duquesne] was looking for a third goalkeeper to add, and I was looking to come back home and play for the city that I grew up in. It just seemed to all come together at the right moment."
With four games in the Red & Blue under her belt, it appears that she made the right call. The sophomore has started each of Duquesne's matches so far, recording 21 saves and conceding just five goals in those games.
When Virgin first arrived on campus, the competition for Duquesne's starting goalkeeper job was wide open. After a strong showing in the preseason, Head Coach Al Alvine chose to roll with the transfer as the team's primary netminder to start the year.
"She has a really broad skillset," Alvine said. "She does pretty much everything well. She's a good shot stopper, she distributes the ball well and she communicates well.
"We've got three really good goalkeepers. Right now, she's the one that's played the best, so she's the one that's playing. To come in as a transfer and to make her mark like that the way that she has, it says a lot about her confidence and her ability."
Virgin recorded her first win in a Duquesne uniform on Sunday, with a 2-1 double-overtime result over Lehigh. The Dukes now carry a 1-1-2 record, with their only loss coming to the No. 11 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers.
For her efforts in the win, as well as in a draw against Appalachian State on Aug. 30, Virgin earned Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week honors. She allowed two goals in just over a combined 210 minutes of play in the matches.
It's been a smooth start to the season for Virgin and her teammates, but she knows there is still room for improvement. Sunday's win was a step in the right direction, and she hopes to build off of that strong performance.
"Of course I want to stop going into overtime," Virgin said following Sunday's match. "I want to try to get it done under 90 [minutes]. I think it was a great team win. We moved the ball really well and found the moments to find the back of the net."
The transition to a new school has been easy, and for that, Virgin credits her teammates. The results on the field have been positive, and so has her overall experience on the Bluff.
"I think we've all come together as a team," Virgin said. "Even with the freshmen and everybody. Everybody's been so welcoming. It's just about playing together and we're doing that well."
While her on-field success and accolades are great, being in close proximity to her friends and family is what she's loved most about her brief time at Duquesne.
"I love being close to home, and I love being in the city," she said. "I love how there's always something to do."
Virgin and the Dukes will take on North Carolina State at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Raleigh, NC.