DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Dayton men's soccer team opens Atlantic 10 play this weekend at Baujan Field. The Flyers host Rhode Island this Friday, Oct. 9 at 8:30 p.m., and will then take on Massachusetts in a rematch of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Championship Final, this Sunday, Oct. 11 at noon. The Flyer women's soccer team will also be at Baujan Field this weekend. They host Charlotte in a rematch of the 2008 A-10 Championship Final at 6 p.m. Friday night and take on Saint Louis Sunday at 2:30 p.m. When all is said and done there will have been four Flyer soccer games played at Baujan Field this weekend.
THE SERIES • The Flyers lead the Rams 9-7 in the all-time series. Dayton ousted Rhode Island 3-2 in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament last year on Nov. 13, 2008. Isaac Kissi and Jeff Popella are returning players who both scored goals for the Flyers Ryan Handbury dished the assist on the game-winner to graduated Florian DeCamps. Erkko Puranen scored both goals for the Rams.
• UMass leads the series 6-8 against the Flyers, however UD won the last meeting, upsetting the No. 1 seeded Minutemen 1-0 in the 2008 A-10 Championship. Zach Weiss scored the game winner for the Flyers.
THE FLYERS
• The Flyers are 5-3-1 and are currently on a five-game winning streak, outscoring their opponents 14-5, despite only outshooting them 83-78.
• Seven different Flyers have scored goals during the five-game winning streak, while eight separate players have contributed on assists.
• Dayton is 3-1-0 at Baujan Field this season, where the average attendance has been 795, third best in the Atlantic 10.
• Isaac Kissi leads the Flyers with nine points (3g, 3a). Peter Chilemena leads the squad four goals and Ryan Handbury paces the squad with four assists. Freshman Evan McCreary has six points (2g, 2a) and is the Flyers' leading scoring rookie.
SCOUTING THE RAMS
• Rhode Island is 3-5-1 with a 1-2-1 record when playing on the road.
• Sophomore Erkko Puranen leads the Rams with seven points (3g, 1a).
• Senior Chris Pennock has started all nine games in goal for URI. He has notched 36 saves and has a 1.54 goals against average.
• Rhode Island is coming off a 1-1 tie to Binghamton and a 2-1 loss to No. 19 Boston University.
SCOUTING THE MINUTEMEN
• UMass is 3-2-3 overall, with two of its three wins coming on the road (2-1-1).
• Senior Mark DeSantis leads the Minutemen with three goals this season. Junior Ben Arikian, a Hermann Trophy candidate, also has six points on two goals and two assists.
• Chris Piekos and Shane Curran-Hays have both started four games in net for UMass. Piekos is 2-0-2 with three shutouts and a 0.22 GAA and 21 saves. Curran Hays is 1-2-1 with a shutout, a 0.95 GAA and 20 saves.
• UMass head coach Sam Koch recently picked up his 200th win at Massachusetts when the Minutemen defeated Colgate 3-0 on Sept. 29.
• Massachusetts recently had a six-game unbeaten streak snapped with a 1-0 loss to Fordham.
ROOKIE A-10 AWARDS
Evan McCreary (Oct.5) and Josh Lavallee (Sept. 7) have both been named the Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Rookies of the Week. An A-10 Preseason All-Rookie selection, McCreary had a goal and an assist in Dayton's 3-0 win over Alabama A&M on Sept. 30. McCreary is Dayton's leading scoring freshman. Lavallee was named Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Co-Rookie of the Week on Sept. 8 after recording a shutout in his first collegiate start against a 2008 NCAA Tournament team, Oakland (Sept. 6).
FOR ASSISTANCE, DIAL THE FLYERS
Four Flyers are in the top eight in the A-10 for assists this season. Senior Ryan Handbury is tied for second in the Atlantic 10 with a team-high four assists. His .44 assists per game are 50th in the country in the latest NCAA National Ranking Summary. Seniors Sonny Renner and Isaac Kissi, and junior Tommy Watkins each have three assists, tied for eighth in the Conference. The Flyers are second in the A-10 in team stats with 20 assists (2.22 per game).
UP NEXT
The Flyers open Atlantic 10 play at Baujan Field against Rhode Island Friday, Oct. 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Their match is the second of a Flyer doubleheader; the UD women's team hosts Charlotte at 6 p.m. ET at Baujan Field.
