Game Notes in PDF Format
FLYERS TRAVEL TO BELMONT LOOKING FOR ITS THIRD STRAIGHT WIN
Coming off a comeback 3-2 victory against Butler on Thursday, the Dayton Flyers seek its third straight victory with a clash against the Belmont Bruins on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. Dayton, 4-1-1 overall, is off to its best start since the 2003 season and is just two victories away from matching last season's win total. In the Flyers' last two wins, junior midfielder Joe Olwig has been the big star with two game-winning goals.
In the Flyers' last contest, Olwig netted the game-winner with 1:50 remaining in regulation to give UD its first road win of the 2007 campaign. Sophomore Alex Torda and junior Florian DeCamps each recorded a goal, while senior Zac Gibbens picked up his Atlantic 10 leading fourth victory in goal.
ABOUT BELMONT
After opening the season winless in its first three games, the Bruins have caught fire recently with victories over Marshall, Central Arkansas and Western Kentucky. Led by senior forward Justin Mooneyhan, the Bruins are averaging 1.6 goals per game. Belmont also possesses a strong defensive unit led by Jay Ayres who was named the Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 17. This was the second time Ayres has received this honor this season.
QUICKLY ABOUT DAYTON
This is the 51st season of Dayton Flyers men's soccer. UD showcases an all-time record of 379-345-54 (.521) in 2007. The Flyers have had a winning record in eight of the last 10 seasons and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and 1998. Head coach Dennis Currier ranks sixth on the Flyers' all-time list in coaching victories with 21, just three behind John Schleppi.
SERIES STUFF
Dayton leads the all-time series 1-0-0. UD won that contest 3-0 at Baujan Field in 2006.
DOING IT WITH DEFENSE
One of the reasons for the Flyers' hot start has been the solid play of its defensive core. Led by senior Zac Gibbens, the Flyers have allowed 1.12 goals per game. Sophomores Randy Dennis, Ryan Handbury and Sonny Renner, along with freshman Tommy Watkins have solidified the back and helped UD not allow more than two goals in six matches this season. In the Atlantic 10, Dayton ranks first in goals allowed with five and second in goals against average.
OFF-BALANCED OFFENSE
Through five games this season, seven different Flyers have recorded at least one goal. This productivity has helped Dayton rank fourth in the Atlantic 10 in goals per game at 1.76. Sophomore Alex Torda leads the team with three goals and ranks in the Atlantic 10's Top 10 in goals and goals per game. Three returning players, Joe Olwig, Simeon Zaprianov and Torda have already matched or eclipsed last season's goal total.
UD RANKED THIRD IN MIDDLE ATLANTIC REGION
With a strong start to the 2007 season, the Dayton Flyers also tied for third in the latest NSCAA/adidas® Middle Atlantic Regional Rankings. It's the highest UD has been regionally ranked during the Dennis Currier era. Dayton has victories this season over Butler, Eastern Illinois, Sacramento State and St. Francis.
PRO-ZAC NATION
Senior Zac Gibbens leads the Atlantic 10 lead in victories and ranks fourth in goals against average and fifth in save percentage. The Loveland, Colo. native has also allowed two goals twice this season and recorded his second career shutout against Eastern Illinois. On the 2007 campaign, Gibbens is 4-1-1 with a 1.12 goals against average and a .750 save percentage with one shutout.
FINDING HIS MO-JOE
Since returning from an injury at the beginning of the season, junior Joe Olwig has been nothing but clutch for the Flyers. In two games Olwig has two game-winning goals, matching his career high. After being scoring just one goal in 11 games last season, Olwig has rebounded and ranks tied for second on the team in goals and third in points.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
The Flyers seem to get better as the game goes on this season holding a 7-3 advantage in goals during the second half this season. Dayton also holds a 46-30 advantage in second half shots as well. Last year the Flyers scored only 10 second half goals in 17 contests.
FANTASTICALLY FLORIAN
In his last three games, junior Florian DeCamps has a goal and an assist for the Flyers. He is close to his career highs set last season in goals (2) and points (5). The Cannes, France native in his last eight games played at UD has six points with two goals and two assists.
CAREER BUILDERS
One of the interesting aspects to the strong start in 2007 has been the number of Flyers who have achieved career bests through six contests. Three players, Alex Torda, Simeon Zaprianov and Sonny Renner, have already reached career highs in points, while senior goalkeeper Zac Gibbens has eclipsed his career best in wins with four.
LENDING A HELPING HAND-BURY
As one of the keys to the Flyer defense, sophomore Ryan Handbury looks to improve on a stellar freshman season in which he earned Atlantic 10 Honorable Mention honors. Handbury was one of three Flyers to start all 17 games in 2006 and scored a goal on eight shots and had an assist. This season, Handbury is one of seven Flyers to have started in all six games.
IMBROGNO HEATS UP ON OFFENSE
With two goals and three assists this season senior Tyler Imbrogno is tied for the UD lead with seven points and ranks among the A-10 leaders in scoring. Imbrogno tallied the game-winner against Sacramento State to go with an assist. At UNC Greensboro, Imbrogno scored a goal in a 1-1 tie. In his last eight regular season games, Imbrogno has nine points with three goals and three assists.
Imbrogno's recent success should be no surprise. Earlier this year Imbrogno earned a spot on the 2007 Atlantic 10 preseason men's soccer All-Conference team, as selected by the league's head coaches. After not registering a point in his first two seasons with UD, Imbrogno broke out in a big way in 2006. Last season Imbrogno scored three goals and two assists for eight points in 13 games. Off the field Imbrogno enjoyed success as well after being named to the 2006-07 Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF FLYERS
UD has an international flavor on the 2007 roster with six players from overseas. The European players include graduate student Daniel March and sophomore Ryan Handbury who hail from the United Kingdom, graduate student Gary Long from Ireland, Simeon Zaprianov from Bulgaria and Florian DeCamps from France. Sophomore Isaac Kissi is in his first season with UD and is from Ghana.
THREE'S COMPANY
During the Dennis Currier era, Dayton is 11-0 when scoring three or more goals.
TOMMY TUTONE DIALS IN
One of the top freshmen to chip in early this season has been defender Tommy Watkins. Watkins recorded his first career assist in the Flyers' 2-1 win over St. Francis. Since preseason camp concluded, Watkins has earned a spot on the back line and has helped solidified a defense along with sophomores Sonny Renner, Ryan Handbury and Randy Dennis.
JUMPING THE SHARK
Dayton is unbeaten this season when they score first going 3-0-1 in four games. Last season the Flyers were 5-1-0 when tallying goal No. 1.
MASTERS OF THEIR DOMAIN
Since 1992 the Flyers have excelled at Baujan Field with an 86-34-9 record, good for a .734 winning percentage. Dayton has played well recently going 4-0-1 in its last five home games dating back to the 2006 campaign. Last season UD went 4-3-1 at home. Since becoming the exclusive home to UD soccer, Baujan Field has grown into one of the top soccer venues in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Dayton twice has played NCAA Play-In games at the historic venue -- 1997 and 1998.
UD PICKED TO FINISH 7TH IN A-10
UD men's soccer was selected to finish seventh in the A-10 behind 2006 A-10 Champ Rhode Island, Saint Louis, Charlotte, Richmond, Duquesne and Xavier. Dayton will look to improve upon the prognosticators in order to earn itself a spot in the six-team 2007 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer, scheduled for its own Baujan Field from Nov. 15-18.
GREAT GAMES AT BAUJAN HIGHLIGHT 2007 SCHEDULE
Rivalry games against Xavier and Wright State and five consecutive home games to conclude the regular season remain on the 2007 Dayton Flyers men's soccer schedule. The Flyers released their schedule with 20 regular-season contests with nine home games at Baujan Field. Senior Day will take place at the regular-season finale against Duquesne.
UD TO HOST 2007 ATLANTIC 10 MEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
The 2007 A-10 Men's Soccer Championship will be held on November 15-18 at Baujan Field in Dayton, Ohio. This will be the fifth A-10 soccer championship held at Baujan Field since opening in 1992. Baujan Field has played host to a number of post-season soccer events. The Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship was hosted here in 1998 and again in 2002, with the Men's Championship being played in 1996 and 1999.
GREAT GRAD RATES
UD men's soccer's 94 score in the latest GSR (Graduation Success Rate) is one of 12 Flyer teams to reach 90 or above. The University of Dayton is one of the top schools among NCAA Division I institutions and the best in the Atlantic 10 at graduating its student-athletes. Success in the classroom is nothing new for UD student-athletes. The Flyers combined cumulative grade point average is above a 3.0. In addition, UD has had 27 Academic All-Americans in the last six years.
FOLLOW UD SOCCER ONLINE
Fans can follow the action of Dayton men's soccer throughout the year at www.DaytonFlyers.com. The official online host of Flyer men's soccer is home to rosters, statistics and game recaps. Fans can also follow each Flyer home game and selected road contests with GameTracker.
