The University of Dayton women’s soccer team travels to Philadelphia for the Penn Invitational this Friday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 12. The Invite is the only regular season tournament for the Flyers this season. Saint Joseph’s, an Atlantic 10 opponent, is also in the tournament field.
HOMECOMING
Three Flyers will have a homecoming of sorts. Sophomore Colleen Williams hails from Titusville, N.J. and sophomore Alysha Mallon is a native of Newtown, Pa. Freshman Sarah Senoyuit is from Perkasie, Pa., All three cities are about 35 miles from University of Pennsylvania.
SERIES INFORMATION
The Flyers will be facing off against the Mountain Hawks and the Quakers for the first time in program history.
FLYER NOTES
• The Flyers are 4-2-0 and coming off a 1-0 win over Oakland.
• Dayton’s 1-0 setback to No. 21 Ohio State on Sept. 3, 2010 was the first regular season loss at Baujan Field since a 1-0 loss to Rutgers on Sept. 14, 2008.
• Five of UD’s six matches this season have been decided by one goal.
• Sophomore Colleen Williams leads the Flyers with nine points (4 goals and 1 assist). Three of her goals have been game-winners.
• Freshman Juliana Libertin has dished two game-winning assists this season.
• Alexis Garcia scored the game-winning goal in UD’s 2-1 win over Toledo.
• Alli Giner scored a goal and had the game-winning assist in Dayton’s 2-0 win over Air Force.
• Senior Lisa Rodgers is 3-0 with three shutouts in three starts in goal for the Flyers. She has 10 saves and an A-10 leading 0.00 GAA, not allowing a goal in 282:44 minutes.
• The Flyers return 16 players from the team that posted a 16-1-6 record and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
UP NEXT
Dayton will host Loyola (Ill.) on Friday, Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Baujan Field. Local youth soccer teams of the Dayton area are invited to attend. Pre-game all youth are invited on the field for the national anthem and starting line-ups.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
LEHIGH
• Lehigh is 1-0-1 going into the Penn Invitational, the only unbeaten team in the tournament field. Lehigh posted a 3-2 victory over Quinnipiac Sept. 5. Senior Liz Carlos scored all three goals to net the Mountain Hawks’ first hat-trick since 2004.
• The Mountain Hawks have played just twice in the first three weeks of the season, opening with a 1-1 tie at Syracuse on Aug. 27.
• Senior Lauren Mains has 15 saves and holds a 1.35 goals-against average.
PENN
• Penn is 1-1-0 going into the Invitational with a 1-0 loss to Towson and a 3-0 victory over Villanova.
• All three players who scored vs. the Wildcats recorded their first collegiate goal -- freshmen Kathryn Barth and Christina Hart, and sophomore Erin Beck.
• The Quakers return seven of 11 starters and 15 letterwinners from a team that went 10-4-2 overall last year, the best record among the Ivy League programs in 2009.
• Junior Caroline Williams is 1-1-0 with a .50 GAA for the Quakers.
• Junior Marin McDermott is the team’s leading returning scorer; she had six goals in 2009.
SUCCESSFUL SENIORS
CollegeSoccer360 has compiled a list of the winningest women’s senior classes (2007-’10) and the Flyers come in at No. 16 in the nation. UD’s win percentage as of Sept. 9 is .743. When the current seniors were freshmen the Flyers posted a 13-4-4 record. As sophomores they went 15-6-1, and as juniors only lost one game, going 16-1-6. The seniors are 4-2 so far this season.
WILLIAMS NAMED A-10 POTW
Colleen Williams was honored as the Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Soccer Player of the Week following the first weekend of the 2010 season (Aug. 23). She was in on all three Flyer goals, tallying five points on two goals and an assist, leading Dayton to a pair of wins over Butler and Toledo. Williams leads the Flyers with nine points. She is also currently listed on the TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 Upperclassmen list, which includes the highest ranked college soccer players in the nation and will be updated weekly. It includes sophomores, juniors and seniors.
KATHLEEN BELJAN MAKES UD HISTORY
Flyer junior defender Kathleen Beljan became the first-ever UD women’s soccer player to be named to the Missouri Athletic Club’s 2010 Hermann Trophy Watch List. Considered the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer, the recipient of the MAC’s Hermann Trophy is selected by Division I head coaches who are current members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). She leads the Flyers in minutes played with 554.
KELLY BLUMENSCHEIN NAMED TO SENIOR CLASS LIST
University of Dayton women’s soccer player Kelly Blumenschein has been selected as a candidate for the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. She is one of 30 student-athletes in the country to be considered for the prestigious honor that celebrates a senior’s commitment to the community, classroom, competition and character.
FLYER SUCCESS
The Dayton women’s soccer program owns an overall record of 344-149-41 (.685 winning percentage) since it became a varsity program in 1984. The Flyers made NCAA Tournament Appearances in 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2009.
FLYERS PICKED TO WIN IT ALL
For the second consecutive year, Dayton has been selected to claim the Atlantic 10 women’s soccer title in voting conducted by the league’s head coaches. The Flyers posted an impressive 16-1-6 overall record en route to the program’s sixth A-10 title and second round appearance in the NCAA Championship. Under the direction of reigning A-10 Coach of the Year Mike Tucker, Dayton returns five All-Conference selections including 2009 Defensive Player of the Year Katherine Boone, along with Rookie of the Year Colleen Williams. The six-team A-10 Women’s Soccer Championship will be held Nov. 4-7 at the URI Soccer Complex in Kingston, R.I.
