Nov. 12, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
| 2008 Men's Soccer Championship Central
FLYERS VIE FOR A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP
The University of Dayton (12-4-2) will play Rhode Island (8-7-3) in the first round of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Championship this Thursday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. ET at Duquesne University's Rooney Field. If No.3-seeded Dayton should best the No. 6-seeded Rams UD would advance to the semifinals to face No. 2-seeded Temple (10-4-4) Friday, Nov. 14 at 8:30 p.m. The A-10 Championship game will be held Sunday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. No. 1-seeded Massachusetts, No. 4 Saint Louis and No. 5 Fordham are also in the Championship field. The winner of the A-10 tournament receives an automatic berth to the 50th Annual NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.
FLYER A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP INFO
• Dayton is playing in its ninth Atlantic 10 Championship. The Flyers have advanced to the tournament five times in the last six years.
• UD was crowned A-10 tournament champion in 1997 and 1998 and would like to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the championship with their third conference tournament title.
• The Flyers are 5-4-3 all-time in A-10 tournament games. In their last appearance, the Flyers tied eventual champion Massachusetts 1-1 on Nov. 15, 2007 but the Minutemen advanced on penalty kicks, 4-3. UMass advanced to the 2007 College Cup.
HOW THE FLYERS STACK UP
• The Flyers are 32-34-3 all-time against the teams in the field of the 2008 A-10 Men's Soccer Championship.
• Dayton did not face Rhode Island or UMass during the regular season.
• The Flyers went 2-1 this season against the other teams in the Atlantic 10 Championship field with back-to-back 1-0 wins against Saint Louis (Oct. 19) and Fordham (Oct. 24). However, UD suffered a 4-2 setback against Temple (Oct. 31) that snapped the Flyers' school record 10-game unbeaten streak.
| |
2008 Result |
UD's All-Time Rec. |
Last Meeting |
|
| Fordham |
W 1-0 (Oct. 24) |
10-3-0 |
W 1-0 (Oct. 24, 2008) |
|
| Massachusetts |
DNP |
5-8-1 |
T 1-1 UMass wins on PK 4-3 (Nov. 15, 2007) |
|
| Rhode Island |
DNP |
8-7-0 |
L 2-1 (Oct. 14, 2007) |
|
| Saint Louis |
W 1-0 (Oct. 19) |
1-11-1 |
W 1-0 (Oct. 19, 2008) |
|
| Temple |
L 4-2 (Oct. 31) |
8-5-1 |
L 4-2 (Oct. 31, 2008) |
|
A-10 EXPERIENCE
• UD senior Joe Olwig is the most experienced Flyer in Atlantic 10 Championship games with three starts, an assist and a goal to his credit. He scored Dayton's lone goal in the quarterfinal against UMass last season.
WAY TO WIN
• UD owns a 12-4-2 overall record this season and its .722 winning percentage is the 19th best mark in the nation.
`GOAL'DEN OPPORTUNITIES
• Hermann Trophy Watch candidate Alex Torda leads the Flyers with 10 goals this season. The junior has come on strong in Atlantic 10 play where he has scored seven of his 10 goals.
FLYERS LEADERS OF THE A-10
• UD is first in the Atlantic 10 in goals per game (2.22) and assists per game (2.39).
• A two-time A-10 Player of the Week, junior Alex Torda leads the Flyers in scoring with 10 goals, fourth in the Atlantic 10. Also named A-10 Player of the Week this season, senior Florian DeCamps is second on the squad with six goals, tied for eighth in the conference.
MAY WE ASSIST YOU?
• UD leads the A-10 in assists per game (2.39). Senior forward Florian DeCamps and sophomore defender Tommy Watkins have dished out a team-high five assists this season, tied for seventh in the A-10. Juniors Ben Murray and Zach Weiss have dished four assists each. The Flyers have threats all over the field as 17 different UD players have been credited with an assist this season.
"WIN" GOALS COUNT THE MOST
•Senior Florian DeCamps has scored four game-winning goals, fourth in the conference, and freshman Jack Pearson is tied for fifth with three game winners, all off headers, for the Flyers.
UD SCORING MACHINE
• Dayton's seven goals against Saint Joseph's (Oct. 2) was a season high. UD is ranked 7th in the country in scoring offense with 2.22 goals per game. Thirteen different Flyers have scored this season and seven have scored multiple goals. Junior Alex Torda leads the way with 10 goals.
THIS ROOKIE IS A KEEPER
• Redshirt freshman Tyler Picard is having a stellar rookie season in goal for the Flyers. He posted two shutouts in his first full week of action, missing the start of the season due to injuries. He has twice been named A-10 Rookie of the Week. The second time he earned the honor he posted back-to-back shutouts against nationally-ranked opponents (No. 26 Charlotte and No. 15 Saint Louis). His five shutouts are tied for fifth in the A-10. He owns a 1.06 goals against average (fifth in the A-10) and a 10-2-1 record with five shutouts.
DEFENSIVE DAYTON
• The Flyer defensive rotation of juniors Randy Dennis, Ryan Handbury and Sonny Renner, sophomore Tommy Watkins and freshman Jack Pearson have helped UD post a .330 shutout percentage, ranked 69th in the country. At one point the Flyers didn't allow a goal in more than 370 minutes of action. Dayton has posted six shutouts this season and in 14 of their 18 games has allowed one goal or less.
BAUJAN IS BEST
• The Flyers finished the regular season 9-0-0 at Baujan Field this year and have a 20-game unbeaten streak (17-0-3) at home dating back to Oct. 28, 2006.
2008 ATLANTIC 10 ALL-CONFERENCE FLYERS
The University of Dayton had four players named to the 2008 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams determined by a vote conducted by the league's head coaches. Senior forward Florian DeCamps earned top honors for the Flyers nabbing First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors. Junior midfielder Alex Torda picked up Second Team accolades and junior defender Ryan Handbury was tabbed an Honorable Mention selection. Jack Pearson, a freshman central back, was named to the All-Rookie Team. In addition to his Second Team Honors, Torda was named to the Academic All-Conference Team.
