Sept. 16, 2009
DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Dayton women's soccer team takes its unbeaten record to Oxford, Ohio for a regional match against the Miami RedHawks this Friday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET. The Flyers (3-0-4) are undefeated through their first seven games for the first time since UD had its best start ever with an 8-0 run to start the 1997 campaign.
SERIES INFORMATION
Despite the proximity to Oxford, Ohio, the Flyers have only faced off against Miami three times and UD holds a 2-1 lead in the series. The last time they played was Nov. 18, 2001, a 2-0 victory for the Flyers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Morgantown, W.Va.
FLYER NOTES
The University of Dayton women's soccer squad is currently ranked No. 5 in the Mid-Atlantic Region by the NSCAA. The Flyers held the top spot for two consecutive weeks to start the season. UD is also receiving votes in the NSCAA National Rankings and remains at No. 33 for the second straight week on the Top Drawer Tournament 64 Rankings.
Dayton is unbeaten in its first seven games (3-0-4) for the first time since 1997 when UD went 8-0 to start the season. The Flyers currently have the longest unbeaten streak in the A-10 and is the only team remaining in the Conference that has not suffered a loss this season.
The college soccer season still hasn't reached its midpoint, yet there now are only 20 teams remaining (from more than 300 in all of D-I women's soccer) that have an unbeaten record (research courtesy of CollegeSoccer360.com). Dayton (3-0-4) is among those 20. The others are Portland, Maryland, Louisiana Tech, North Carolina, Stanford, Boston College, South Carolina, Marshall, Mississippi State, Chattanooga, Georgia, Villanova, New Mexico, Arkansas, Canisius, Michigan State, UC Davis, Iowa State.
The Flyers have shut out six of their seven opponents this season and have allowed just one goal, which is tops in the A-10 (Richmond, UMass and Saint Louis are the next closest having allowed six goals each). The lone score against the UD defense came against No. 25 Auburn in a 1-1 tie. Dayton is ranked sixth in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer National Ranking Summary in both Goals Against Average (0.127) and Shutout Percentage (0.857).
UD has outscored opponents 10-1 with the help of a couple of 4-0 victories, over previously undefeated Middle Tennessee State (Aug. 30) and over Ball State (Sept. 11).
Dayton has outshot opponents 187-50. The Flyers lead the A-10 in the category, the next closest is Charlotte with 111. UD also leads the conference in corner kicks with 56. The next closest is Saint Joseph's with 39.
UD has four ties in its first seven games. That ties a school record set in 2007 (13-4-4) and in 1984 (5-8-4).
Freshman goalkeeper Katherine Boone (2-0-4) leads the Atlantic 10 with a 0.14 Goals Against Average, which is also good enough for the sixth-best GAA in the country. She has posted a league-best five shutouts. Her .923 save percentage is second in the Conference and 15th in the nation. Boone was named A-10 Rookie of the Week on Sept. 8 after posting two shutouts in the Hurricane Cup against Navy and Western Carolina.
Three Flyers are in the Top 10 for shots and shots per game in the Atlantic 10: senior Mandi Back leads the league in both categories with 42 shots (6.00 per game); junior Jerica DeWolfe is second in shots (29) and third in shots per game (4.14); senior Lauren MacCormick is fifth in shots (22) and sixth in shots per game (3.14). Back is tied for third in the Conference with three assists.
Jerica DeWolfe was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week on Aug. 31. The junior forward amassed three goals in two contests to help Dayton remain undefeated. She is tied for seventh in the A-10 with her three goals.
SCOUTING MIAMI
Miami is 3-2-0 going into the match against UD. The RedHawks are coming off a 3-1 win over Xavier (Sept. 13) when they scored three goals in seven minutes in the second half. MU also has wins over Eastern Kentucky (3-0) and Eastern Illinois (2-1). The RedHawks suffered a 1-0 loss to Louisville to start their season. The Flyers played Louisville in an exhibition match and won, 1-0. Miami earned a 3-2 win over Wright State in exhibition play, while UD recently went toe-to-toe with the Raiders with a 0-0 tie result.
The RedHawks average 14.0 shots per game and are led by junior Sara Lund's 20 attempts.
Miami has outscored opponents 8-4 this season. Sara Lund, senior Allison Berkley and junior Julie Thompson have each scored two goals. Senior Kersta Carlson leads MU in assists with three, and also has one goal.
Senior Krista Pace has started all five games in goal for the RedHawks. She has one shutout, 16 saves, a 0.78 GAA and a .800 save percentage.
The Miami women's soccer team was picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference by the league's 12 head coaches in the MAC preseason poll.
UP NEXT
The Flyers open their Atlantic 10 Conference season at Baujan Field Friday, Sept. 25 against Temple at 6 p.m. ET. It's the first game of a doubleheader at Baujan. The Flyer men's team will host SIUE following the women's game against the Owls.
HURRICANE CUP HEROICS
Sophomores Kathleen Beljan and Emily Kenyon were named to the University of Miami Hurricane Cup All-Tournament Team. Both played the entire 220 minutes of the Flyers' two double overtime matches against Navy and Western Carolina and were key in keeping them scoreless.
FRESHMEN FRENZY
There are 12 freshmen on the Flyer squad this season. Midfielder Colleen Williams has started all seven games this season and Alexis Garcia has six starts for UD. Katherine Boone has started six games as goalkeeper. Defender Alysha Mallon has started one game and seen action in all seven. Shannon Donoher, Maggie Hinkle and Alle Pacetta have also seen action for the Flyers.
BAUJAN IS BEST
Baujan Field is one of the top soccer venues in the country. A school-record 1,584 fans were on hand for Dayton's 4-0 win over Ball State on Sept. 13, 2009. UD boasted the best home attendance average of any Atlantic 10 school in 2008. Dayton averaged 709 fans a game at Baujan Field. The next closest was Charlotte with 504 fans per home game. UD's game against Indiana (Aug. 22) drew 1,213 fans, the eighth best all-time attendance mark in Dayton women's soccer history.
FLYER SUCCESS
The Dayton women's soccer program owns an overall record of 341-151-36 (.714 winning percentage) since it became a varsity program in 1984. The Flyers made NCAA Tournament Appearances in 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. |
